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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The ABCs of Death (2013) in Movies

Oct 3, 2020 (Updated Oct 3, 2020)  
The ABCs of Death (2013)
The ABCs of Death (2013)
2013 | Horror, Mystery
"๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ฏ'๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ฏ๐˜ถ๐˜ง๐˜ง ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ฎ, ๐˜ช๐˜ต'๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต." - Adam Wingard.

Q > O > T > L > J > I > Y > F > H > R > Z > A > D > G > M > P > S > U > X > B > W > V > C > K > N > E

I know everyone else generally has a distaste for them but I have such a soft spot for horror anthology films. Even the ones I don't really like such as ๐˜Ÿ๐˜Ÿ I always find myself remembering vividly. This one in particular I not only thought was an absolute blast, but it also has a mightily commendable gimmick at the forefront (26 different directors of 26 different nationalities). Legit one of the weirdest, most devilishly fucked-up, humorous, grotesquely fetishistic + scatological horror films I've ever seen - a few of these segments I'm convinced are just actual kink porn lmfao. As you can probably surmise, a handful of the segments aren't so hot but truthfully none of them I thought were even close to awful (well, E was kind of crappy); the vast majority of them I found to be immensely enjoyable and all of them strung together make this a super fun ride as a whole. Guessing which word each director will utilize for their assigned letter is nearly as fun as watching them all play out. Luridly singular, sincerely morbid, and entertaining as hell - I'm fine with being one of the only ones who finds this surreal curio legitimately great.
  
From Beer to Eternity
From Beer to Eternity
Sherry Harris | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cheers to a New Series
When Chloe Jackson promised her friend Boone she would help his grandmother, Vivi, if something happened to him, she never expected sheโ€™s have to follow through. But after his untimely death, she heads to Emerald Cove, Florida, to help her with her beach side bar. Things get complicated when Chloe finds one of the regulars dead behind the bar one morning. With the police looking at Vivi as a suspect, Chloe has to figure out what really happened. Can she do it?

Picking up this book, I was immediately transported to the beach, a place I love. The setting was fantastic, and I would love to visit in person. The mystery was a little slow to get going as we were introduced to the characters and setting, but once it did, I was fully engaged. There were plenty of twists along the way. The climax was a bit rushed, but it still answered all of my questions. There are several times where Chloe seemed to have more time in her day than normal, and one chapter with a wonky timeline, but none of this impacted the plot in a meaningful way. Chloe had been working as a childrenโ€™s librarian before this story started, so I loved the occasional references to childrenโ€™s books. She leads a group of fantastic characters, some of whom already feel like friends. I will definitely be back for the next round.
  
Hustlers (2019)
Hustlers (2019)
2019 | Drama
Tries too hard... and fails
I've had this on my Amazon to watch list for quite some time and finally decided to give it a go last night, and to be honest I wish I hadn't bothered.

This makes out like it's going to be a stylish crime caper similar to films like Ocean's Eleven etc, but it really is as far from it as you can get. It's very dull and considering it has a less than 2 hour run time, it drags on for a very long time. The plot sounds interesting but in reality it's completely lacklustre. It tries to pull off this heartwarming friendship tale but it fails miserably - none of the characters in this are particularly likeable and endearing and aren't helped by some rather terrible acting from the likes of Constance Wu and Julia Stiles. I am very glad though that Cardi B and Lizzo were only cameos as they were bad enough in those, I couldn't have dealt with Cardi B especially for the entire duration. Also the stripping scenes have been handled very badly. Yes it's a film about strippers, but rather than showing this aspect in a powerful and respectable way, it actually feels really seedy and is a bit cringey to watch.

Overall there wasn't really much to like about this film, although Jennifer Lopez was bareable. Could've been done so much better.
  
Going Nowhere Fast
Going Nowhere Fast
Gar Anthony Haywood | 1994 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Corpse in the Airstream Bathroom
When Joe Loudermilk took his retirement from the Los Angeles police department, he and his wife, Dottie, bought an Airstream trailer and hit the road, enjoying the sights and sounds of wherever they decide to visit. They also left their grown kids behind, so returning to their trailer one day, they are surprised to find their youngest son inside. Even more surprising is their sonโ€™s announcement that there is a dead body in the bathroom. None of them recognize the corpse. Who is he? Why is their son there?

I grew up camping, so this is one of several series Iโ€™ve wanted to try that involve camping. The plot is fun, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. I did find a couple of the characters โ€“ Joe especially โ€“ annoying. Iโ€™m sure he was supposed to be funny, but the fact that he seemed to always be mad at others didnโ€™t make me laugh. Still, this is a minor complaint, and I loved Dottie, our main character. The book was originally released in the mid-90โ€™s, so it provides a fun reminder of just how much our life has changed since then. At least the physical book I read does; I donโ€™t know if anything was updated before the ebook was released. This book has been sitting on my to be read pile for years, and Iโ€™m glad I finally pulled it out and read it.
  
A Study in Scarlet (The Sherlock Holmes Children's Collection #1)
A Study in Scarlet (The Sherlock Holmes Children's Collection #1)
Arthur Conan Doyle, Stephanie Baudet | 2019 | Children, Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wonderful Retelling For Children
โ€I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

Stephanie Baudet has written over 50 books for children. Among them, The Sherlock Holmes Children's Collection, a retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant novels for children ages seven and up.

To give a fair and accurate review of the first book in the series, A Study in Scarlet, I read the original novel. I am not going to review Conan Doyle's work at this time. This review deals with Baudet's adaption. Although I will add, those who are not familiar with Holmes and Watson should start the series with this adaption. It introduces the characters when they first meet and agree to move into Baker Street together.

Baudet's adaption is so enjoyable and entertaining, if they were available years ago, I would have bought the entire collection for my children. The drawings are well done. All of the major points in the original work are presented clearly for children to understand and appreciate Conan Doyle's work.

To date, there are 12 adaptions published. None of them are Sir Author Conan Doyle's most famous work, The Hound of the Baskervilles. I appreciate that Baudet adapted his lesser-known work to allow children access to stories they may not have discovered otherwise.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/29/20.