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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Next Right Thing: A Novel in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I won a copy of this book from First Reads on Goodreads.
First of all I have to say that it wasn't bad or good...more of an okay read. There was action & drama. There was a whole host of characters, but the downside to that in my opinion is that none of them were all that well developed with the exception of Randy the main character. His girlfriend MP, seemed important at the beginning of the book, but then she pretty much disappeared. I cound Troy & Emma to be the most fascinating characters, but they weren't developed to the extent that they could've been.
The book tells the story of ex-cop Randy Chalmers, who is now a highly in demand home builder & recovering alcoholic. One day his mentor Terry turns up long dead in a hotel room of an apparent heroin overdose in a seedy motel room. The catch is, Terry had been clean upwards of 15 years. So the former detective in Randy takes over when he begins to doubt that a simple O.D. is how he best friend died. In the course of his not so under the radar investigation, he stumbles across something much bigger & finds that his friend is smack in the middle of it.
The story was a promising idea that wasn't brought to it's fullest potential. It was a fast, okay read, but not one that I find myself dying to share with someone.
First of all I have to say that it wasn't bad or good...more of an okay read. There was action & drama. There was a whole host of characters, but the downside to that in my opinion is that none of them were all that well developed with the exception of Randy the main character. His girlfriend MP, seemed important at the beginning of the book, but then she pretty much disappeared. I cound Troy & Emma to be the most fascinating characters, but they weren't developed to the extent that they could've been.
The book tells the story of ex-cop Randy Chalmers, who is now a highly in demand home builder & recovering alcoholic. One day his mentor Terry turns up long dead in a hotel room of an apparent heroin overdose in a seedy motel room. The catch is, Terry had been clean upwards of 15 years. So the former detective in Randy takes over when he begins to doubt that a simple O.D. is how he best friend died. In the course of his not so under the radar investigation, he stumbles across something much bigger & finds that his friend is smack in the middle of it.
The story was a promising idea that wasn't brought to it's fullest potential. It was a fast, okay read, but not one that I find myself dying to share with someone.
Dark Places: The Haunted House in Film
3.0
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Horror films revel in taking viewers into shadowy places where evil resides, whether it is a house,...
The Book of Cold Cases
9.0
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A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two...
ghost story
Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Devil's Rejects (2005) in Movies
Oct 16, 2019
Chinese, Japanese, Dirty knees, look at these!
Shortly after the events of House of 1,000 Corpses, Sheriff Wydell and his band of deputies approach and surround the homestead occupied by everyone's favorite murderous, diabolical, psychotic family. Inside, lazy slumbering quickly turns to mounting a counter offensive when the family realizes what is about to happen. The ensuring shootout claims several victims before the aid of tear gas precedes a law enforcement home invasion. Unfortunately, only one family member is captured while Baby and Otis escape out the back. Baby calls their father, Captain Spaulding, to inform him of the pending doom on his way so he can meet up with them subsequently.
The two siblings arrive at a local motel only to perform their brand of debauchery on two couples and friends staying there. They are forced to be in constant fear for their lives whilst their kidnappers decide what to do with them while waiting on their matriarch. The torture endured by their victims is heinous, cruel and unnecessary, but is their way of life.
The law is tightly on their trail waiting for that lead which will lead them to the felons. This is growing personal for the sheriff as he discovers the "rejects" were responsible for the death of his brother. The sheriff decides to hire some disreputable men of his own to use whatever methods they can to acquire the location of his targets.
The inevitable stand off leaves other casualties and a position it will be difficult for the sheriff to return from. The "rejects" always seem to find a way to survive no matter their degree of peril.
This film takes a different direction than that of House of 1,000 Corpses. That film being more of a standard "teenagers wander into a house of horrors" situation, whereas this film feels more like a "Natural Born Killers" type.
The total lack of any sort of normal human decency for the family is truly revolting and is on display every time they interact with anyone including women and children. They even don't really like each other very much and are constantly arguing with one other; their visceral hatred always right on the edge of bubbling over.
The unspeakable cruelty they enact on their victims can seem excessive at times; however, if you have lived through the events of the first film, you know what you are getting into here. When they are attached to their motel guests, you are just waiting for the next moment of panic when their guests start to figure out exactly what type of monsters they are dealing with.
I loved the gritty look of the film along with the mostly 1970s classic rock soundtrack. The scenery and landscapes of the sparse countryside fit the film well as well.
Not too many sequels build or are as good or better than their predecessor, but this film could be one of those for sure.
The two siblings arrive at a local motel only to perform their brand of debauchery on two couples and friends staying there. They are forced to be in constant fear for their lives whilst their kidnappers decide what to do with them while waiting on their matriarch. The torture endured by their victims is heinous, cruel and unnecessary, but is their way of life.
The law is tightly on their trail waiting for that lead which will lead them to the felons. This is growing personal for the sheriff as he discovers the "rejects" were responsible for the death of his brother. The sheriff decides to hire some disreputable men of his own to use whatever methods they can to acquire the location of his targets.
The inevitable stand off leaves other casualties and a position it will be difficult for the sheriff to return from. The "rejects" always seem to find a way to survive no matter their degree of peril.
This film takes a different direction than that of House of 1,000 Corpses. That film being more of a standard "teenagers wander into a house of horrors" situation, whereas this film feels more like a "Natural Born Killers" type.
The total lack of any sort of normal human decency for the family is truly revolting and is on display every time they interact with anyone including women and children. They even don't really like each other very much and are constantly arguing with one other; their visceral hatred always right on the edge of bubbling over.
The unspeakable cruelty they enact on their victims can seem excessive at times; however, if you have lived through the events of the first film, you know what you are getting into here. When they are attached to their motel guests, you are just waiting for the next moment of panic when their guests start to figure out exactly what type of monsters they are dealing with.
I loved the gritty look of the film along with the mostly 1970s classic rock soundtrack. The scenery and landscapes of the sparse countryside fit the film well as well.
Not too many sequels build or are as good or better than their predecessor, but this film could be one of those for sure.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Honey Boy (2019) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020
392. Honey Boy. A story about a boy, who's dad made a living off him, by pimping him out to Hollywood, ensuring he would grow up to be a weirdo, the Shia LeBeouf story. Ok, it's written by him, oh and it stars him as Tom Cruise's character from Born on the Fourth of July, only he's not in a wheel chair, he has a son. Dad, James and son, Otis live in a motel, close by the movie studios where Otis is a child actor, doing child actor things...insert Corey Feldman stories here... while his dad, lives off him, and doing other shady things and not being a good dad, and how the two deal with that. Movie also tells the tale of twenty-something Otis, and his adult acting life is... insert Shia LeBeouf stories here... where he relives the memories we are watching. Guy who plays older Otis, Lucas Hedges, has LeBeouf's super annoying way of aggressive, spit-talking and mannerisms down pact, even though it's not supposed to be him in the first place...ooops. I really did enjoy the movie I just felt there were several places where I felt the filmmakers were patting themselves on the back, saying to themselves 'yea man, this is deep. stretch this out a little longer, man, really show that this 12 year old boy's relationship with the prostitute across the way is beautiful, not creepy in any way at all.' Worth the watch, check it out! Filmbufftim on FB
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Season 9
6.0
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TV Season
As the team grieve for their fallen colleague ("For Warrick"), Grissom makes a life changing...
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Blood Father (2016) in Movies
Apr 20, 2020
Mel Unleashed
418. Blood Father. I had the feeling the whole time that this easily could have been the script for the last Rambo flick, Sly said no, Mel just got off house arrest so, it worked out. In this, I think Mel is playing a version of himself, and just went with it. Link is an ex-con recovering alcoholic that gets a call from his missing daughter, like legit missing, reward money type missing, anyways, she just called to let her know that she just killed her Mexican mobster boyfriend, and she's on the run and needs help. So Link goes and picks up Lydia and brings her back to his home/tattoo parlor. But wouldn't you know it, those mobsters find out where she went, and show up in a pretty amusing gunfight, each time Link pulls the trigger he announces out loud the criminal charge he is now going to face. Escape they do, on the run they must go. Once at a motel, obviously terrified that a criminal organization wants her and her father dead, she still has time to be a teenage girl and come flirt with the checkout guy, and that's when she sees the TV, the law is now looking for them as well. So go deeper into hiding they must, she dyes her hair blonde, Link shaves his pretty awesome beard to look like Mel's very real mugshot, and off they go again. Will the mobsters catch up? Of course they will or there'd be no point! It's definitely not great, but still fun to watch. Filmbufftim on FB!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Psycho (1960) in Movies
Oct 4, 2020
Psycho is a true all-timer, in every sense of the phrase. It still holds up now, as well as it ever did and is simply a masterclass in suspense cinema.
Anthony Perkins is fantastic as Norman Bates. He makes the character both approachable and sinister, subtly suggesting just how unhinged he is as the narrative steams forward.
The pacing in Psycho is perfect, even before Marion Crane pulls into the Bates Motel. It successfully reels you in from the films opening (and incredible music score) and just doesn't let you until the end.
Marion Crane is of course played by Janet Leigh. She has a hypnotizing presence thought the runtime, with every line of dialogue feeling important. Her performance alongside Perkins is a huge part of what makes Psycho such a classic.
Hitchcock achieved some truly magnificent shots here as well. The infamous shower scene has rightly earned it's place in cinema history, but it's easy to forget just how chilling it is when you see a shadowy figure through the shower curtain, silently enter the room. True nightmare fuel. Another favourite moment is the overhead shot when Bates flys out of his mother's room to attack Arbogast. Makes me jump every damn time.
Bernard Herrmanns score compliments all of this wonderfully as well. It's a timeless score that is constantly frantic whilst simultaneously beautiful. Much like Jaws, it's almost impossible to think of the film without hearing parts of the iconic music theme.
Psycho is a solid masterpiece that remains effective to this day. It's the perfect thriller, and in some ways, the perfect horror.
Anthony Perkins is fantastic as Norman Bates. He makes the character both approachable and sinister, subtly suggesting just how unhinged he is as the narrative steams forward.
The pacing in Psycho is perfect, even before Marion Crane pulls into the Bates Motel. It successfully reels you in from the films opening (and incredible music score) and just doesn't let you until the end.
Marion Crane is of course played by Janet Leigh. She has a hypnotizing presence thought the runtime, with every line of dialogue feeling important. Her performance alongside Perkins is a huge part of what makes Psycho such a classic.
Hitchcock achieved some truly magnificent shots here as well. The infamous shower scene has rightly earned it's place in cinema history, but it's easy to forget just how chilling it is when you see a shadowy figure through the shower curtain, silently enter the room. True nightmare fuel. Another favourite moment is the overhead shot when Bates flys out of his mother's room to attack Arbogast. Makes me jump every damn time.
Bernard Herrmanns score compliments all of this wonderfully as well. It's a timeless score that is constantly frantic whilst simultaneously beautiful. Much like Jaws, it's almost impossible to think of the film without hearing parts of the iconic music theme.
Psycho is a solid masterpiece that remains effective to this day. It's the perfect thriller, and in some ways, the perfect horror.
The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele #1)
7.0
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Detective Amanda Steele stops just inside the doorway, recognizing the victim’s face instantly. He...
Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated Wonderful Wonderful by The Killers in Music
Jun 22, 2018
Alternative rock band The Killers are back in business with their 5th studio album, Wonderful Wonderful. The lead single off this album, “The Man,” was an instant hit with me. I remember thinking to myself when I first heard it on the radio, “This would make a great choice for an ESPN promo song during football season.” Sure enough, once the 2017 NFL season was underway I heard the song playing during an episode of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. Are those good instincts or what?
Anyways, going back to “The Man,” if you haven’t yet been struck by the contagion of the song you are missing out! The lyrics are so puffed up and arrogant, they’re simultaneously ridiculous and fun to listen to. Altogether, the song’s fast-paced, high-energy style reminds me a lot of “Move” by the band Saint Motel. It is the perfect song to listen to if and when you need to get pumped up for something.
Okay, enough about “The Man.” The 9 other tracks on The Killers’ latest album are all worth listening to as well. The second most energetic song on the album, “Run For Cover,” addresses domestic abuse; another track, “Rut” focuses on the struggles of PTSD; “Tyson vs Douglas” echoes the shock that lead vocalist Brandon Flowers felt after watching Mike Tyson get defeated for the first time in the memorable 1990 boxing match. The songs in this album are all so different from one another both message-wise and sound-wise, and that’s part of what makes Wonderful Wonderful one of the best albums The Killers have released. Fun fact: In one of the songs, “Some Kind of Love,” Flowers has his 3 sons doing backup vocals near the end…how cool is that?
Anyways, going back to “The Man,” if you haven’t yet been struck by the contagion of the song you are missing out! The lyrics are so puffed up and arrogant, they’re simultaneously ridiculous and fun to listen to. Altogether, the song’s fast-paced, high-energy style reminds me a lot of “Move” by the band Saint Motel. It is the perfect song to listen to if and when you need to get pumped up for something.
Okay, enough about “The Man.” The 9 other tracks on The Killers’ latest album are all worth listening to as well. The second most energetic song on the album, “Run For Cover,” addresses domestic abuse; another track, “Rut” focuses on the struggles of PTSD; “Tyson vs Douglas” echoes the shock that lead vocalist Brandon Flowers felt after watching Mike Tyson get defeated for the first time in the memorable 1990 boxing match. The songs in this album are all so different from one another both message-wise and sound-wise, and that’s part of what makes Wonderful Wonderful one of the best albums The Killers have released. Fun fact: In one of the songs, “Some Kind of Love,” Flowers has his 3 sons doing backup vocals near the end…how cool is that?