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Leah Lopez (7 KP) rated Meredith: Our Daughter's Murder and the Heartbreaking Quest for the Truth in Books

Nov 6, 2019

When the news first came out I thought, like most people, it would be a short trial before the murderers go to jail for a very long time. Yet, this is one of the most baffling cases I have tried to get my head around. Meredith Kercher was a beautiful and talented young girl that had so much to live for. Her photographs show her personality and loving nature. Yet, like her father says, the attention has always been on Amanda Knox. Why? I have no idea...she seems so boisterous and cunning. She acts naive but she isn't. It is like a game to her. Although the recent court case has, once again, let them off I strongly believe another case will be brought forward. It has too. Too much mystery to let it go. The amount of evidence that pins all suspects has to have an ending. An emotional read. May you rest in peace, Meredith Kercher!

Kudos

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The White Hart (Red Grouse Tales) in Books

Nov 28, 2019

The White Hart (Red Grouse Tales)

Leslie W.P. Garland | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Paranormal

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The fourth of The Red Grouse Tales is also the most obviously paranormal in nature. Told by Pete, a keen fell runner and ladies' man, his one tale actually consists of three linked stories. The central and longest concerns a visit to an old chapel, all that remains of a stately home. There he meets a woman who relates the tragic story of Christine, the former owner of the house and supposed ghost.

This isn't a ghost story designed to spook or discomfort; instead the intriguing tale of Christine, along with that of Pete himself, is a moral one of how some men and women manipulate each other and at what level that becomes unacceptable. The story itself is light with a happy (if not entirely surprising) ending that will leave a warmth where other stories in this collection have left a chill.

The lightest of the Red Grouse tales (in the edition I read) but very much a suitable one to end with.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated City Of God (2002) in Movies

Mar 2, 2020 (Updated Mar 3, 2020)

City Of God (2002)

2002 | Crime, Drama

8.3

(16 Ratings)

Movie Rating

If there is one film I insist folk who don’t often go for a subtitled film watch, then City of God is it. Organised crime takes on a much different flavour in different cultures, and here we see how it is not merely a choice in search of riches and power, but a way of life that becomes a matter of survival. This exceptional film has everything: story, character, beauty, cruelty, ugliness, religion, morality and an abundance of heart and soul. Importantly it was co-directed, including a rare female eye in the genre, and it shows. There is a sensibility to City of God that transcends the trivial nature of many gangster / crime films. The violence is a means by which we feel genuine sorrow and empathy for a world gone mad. A highly polished work of art that resonates in human ways a lot of films on this list fail to do.

Kudos

Andy K (10823 KP) rated Badlands (1973) in Movies

Jul 29, 2019

Badlands (1973)

1973 | Crime, Drama

9.3

(4 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Impressive debut from the legend himself, Terrence Malick

Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek look so young! Probably because they are!

Impressive directorial debut and the start of great things to come. Some of his visual style are already present including impressive landscape shots or cut scenes featuring animals and nature.

The story is based on the American serial killer Charles Starkweather who befriends a naive young girl, invades her life and brings her along on a mass killing road trip across the southern United States. The victims include almost everyone they meet. The authorities are mobilized and pursue the duo as tensions escalate.

Sheen and Spacek are perfectly cast as the young couple which modern audiences would equate to Natural Born Killers; however, this film is not over the top like NBK. I really enjoyed their reluctant relationship and the mounting peril with the inevitable confrontation with the law.

Highly recommended.