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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Wind River (2017) in Movies

Mar 14, 2018  
Wind River (2017)
Wind River (2017)
2017 | Action, Crime, Mystery
8
8.5 (33 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Thoughtful, provocative murder mystery
The back 1/2 of August has traditionally been a dumping ground for bad motion pictures. One exception to this was last year when the deserved Oscar nominated film HELL OR HIGH WATER was released (if you still haven't caught up with this, I highly recommend you do). So when I saw that the writer of HHW, Taylor Sheridan, was coming out with another modern sheriff murder mystery, I was intrigued to say the least.

And, I am happy to report, that this film did not disappoint. While it is not at the level of HHW, it certainly is a thoughtful, provocative murder mystery that is a refreshing change from the normal SuperHero, GGI-fests that festoon the cineplex throughout the course of the summer months.

Written and Directed by Sheridan (the screenwriter of HHW and SICARIO), WIND RIVER tells the tale of a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Coming in to investigate is young, city girl, Florida native, Elizabeth Olsen who teams up with aTribal Police Captain (Graham Greene) and a veteran tracker (Jeremy Renner) to find out what happened.

This could have been a by-the-book murder mystery with the naive, "fish-out-of-water" Olsen learning to love and understand the world she is thrust into, but in the hands (and pen) of Sheridan, it is much, much more. Sheridan creates a mood throughout this film, one of slow, lingering dread and hopelessness - and how he accomplishes this was intriguing to me. He uses the setting of the Indian Reservation to show the "smallness" of the people living there, juxtaposing scenes of vast, wild, cold wilderness with scenes of squalor in the settlement of Native American people living there.

The acting is solid - Olsen is turning into a very good actress and her performance sets the right tone. Greene is, as always, a steady hand on the screen with a pragmatic approach to the inhabitants of the Reservation, but it is Jeremy Renner as the quiet, taciturn tracker who has a loss of his own that parallels the murder investigation, that shines. I've always liked Renner and was high on his potential after his breakout performance in THE HURT LOCKER in 2008. While his performances in the blockbusters that followed have been solid, but not spectacular - you saw glimpses of it in films like THE TOWN - but I've felt that he never quite lived up to that potential - until now. This is a very strong performance (falling just short of Oscar material) but one that anchors this film and mirrors the mood that Sheridan sets up through the location of WIND RIVER.

Not the fastest moving of films, but a thoughtful, intelligent mystery that left me grateful for a film with some meat on the bone after a summer of "Cotton Candy" action flicks

Letter Grade: B+

8 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Ghost a la Mode (A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery, #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
GA
Ghost a la Mode (A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery, #1)
Sue Ann Jaffarian | 2009
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Emma Whitecastle discovers she can see ghosts when her great-great grandmother appears to her demanding that Emma solve her century old murder. This was a fun debut that suffered just slightly from a weak ending. Keeping in mind I'm not normally a supernatural mystery guy, I am looking forward to the next one.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-ghost-la-mode-by-sue-ann.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated False Profits (Tucker Sinclair, #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
FP
False Profits (Tucker Sinclair, #1)
Patricia Smiley | 2007
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Business consultant Tucker Sinclair finds her career in danger when a client substitutes a new business plan for the one she created. Then he turns up in the Pacific Ocean. Can she solve the murder and save her career? I loved the LA setting, but found the mystery a little slow going and the characters a little light.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-false-profits-by-patricia.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Murder is Binding (Booktown Mystery, #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
MI
Murder is Binding (Booktown Mystery, #1)
Lorna Barrett | 2008
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In a town devoted to bookstores, Tricia Miles owns the mystery bookstore. When her neighbor, owner of the cook book store, is found murdered, Tricia jumps in to find out who did it. The book was entertaining with interesting characters, but the story was a little weak. I do plan to give the series a second chance.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-is-binding-by-lorna.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.