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Elevator (2012)
5.5
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Nine Wall Street partygoers become stranded in an elevator, and one of them has a bomb. The other...
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Light Between Oceans (2016) in Movies
Aug 24, 2017
Extremely slow, slightly frustrating plot
I did find the plot pace a little too slow, and the female character Isabelle, played by Alicia Vikander, exceedingly frustrating. I can't remember how many times I rolled my eyes at her antics. Only the last few scenes were the best in the whole film where I almost shed a tear. Michael Fassbender, as per usual gives a stirring straightforward performance as did Rachel Weisz. The story needs a lot of polishing though. Babies tend not to arrive by boat in the middle of the ocean like a biblical story just like random floating messages in bottles.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Girl on the Train in Books
Mar 15, 2018
2015 has only just begun, and already we may have one of the year's best suspense novels on our hands. This book follows Rachel, an alcoholic who has developed a fantasy life in her head for an attractive couple she sees in their home from her commuter train every day. When the wife of said couple goes missing, she can't help but involve herself in the mystery, which rather unsurprisingly winds up further complicating her life. The story moves back and forth in time, and is told from the perspectives of Rachel, her ex-husband's new wife Anna, and the missing woman Megan (who Rachel initially refers to as Jess in her fantasy). No one in the story seems to be trustworthy, as they all hide information and/or outright lie to each other in order to achieve their goals, which makes getting to the bottom of things that much more challenging for everyone, including the reader. Despite all the characters being heavily flawed, most of them come across sympathetically, which helps one actually care about their fates. Rachel in particular is well fleshed out, and comes the closest to being outright likable, which is quite a feat considering how unbalanced she is. The plot moves along at a very brisk pace and builds up to such a suspenseful conclusion that it is a hard book to put down. It may be a little dark for some people's tastes, but I found it to be one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time.
Kelly (279 KP) rated The Humanity Bureau (2017) in Movies
Dec 6, 2018
Slow pace in parts (1 more)
Predictable
Worth a watch
Contains spoilers, click to show
Nicolas Cage stars in this dystopian film, set in a society where individuals who are believed not to contribute enough to society are sent to ‘New Eden’. Nicolas Cage plays the role of Noah, a government agent, who is sent to assess cases of people who are about to be evicted and transported to New Eden, a place where we are repeatedly told people are never heard from again.
Noah is sent to assess the case of Rachel and Lucas, a mother and son, who are struggling to make ends meat. Noah is quick to give the family an extension, defying orders. This action sparks a response from Noah’s bosses, and forces Noah to support Rachel and Lucas in their escape. The bulk of the movie is focused on the escape of the three across a land that we are told is radioactive and waste land. Elements of this part of the story are very slow paced for my liking, I prefer a bit more action than the behind the wheel reminiscing of Noah.
The plot line does keep its secrets until the end, although these are a little predictable, for example New Eden is a place we’re people do not make it out alive. The most difficult to believe twist though, was that of Lucas being Noah’s son, and Rachel not being the biological mother. I felt that the connection between the characters could have been thought out on a more emotional level, this seemed to be an afterthought forced into the plot in order to ensure that it made more sense.
Perhaps I have watched too many dystopian movies, but I struggled to find any ideas that were really unique to this film, which recycled ideas from stories such as Logan’s run and hunger games.
Overall the acting was good and it was not an overly bad movie, but there were issues with the pace and plot line.
Noah is sent to assess the case of Rachel and Lucas, a mother and son, who are struggling to make ends meat. Noah is quick to give the family an extension, defying orders. This action sparks a response from Noah’s bosses, and forces Noah to support Rachel and Lucas in their escape. The bulk of the movie is focused on the escape of the three across a land that we are told is radioactive and waste land. Elements of this part of the story are very slow paced for my liking, I prefer a bit more action than the behind the wheel reminiscing of Noah.
The plot line does keep its secrets until the end, although these are a little predictable, for example New Eden is a place we’re people do not make it out alive. The most difficult to believe twist though, was that of Lucas being Noah’s son, and Rachel not being the biological mother. I felt that the connection between the characters could have been thought out on a more emotional level, this seemed to be an afterthought forced into the plot in order to ensure that it made more sense.
Perhaps I have watched too many dystopian movies, but I struggled to find any ideas that were really unique to this film, which recycled ideas from stories such as Logan’s run and hunger games.
Overall the acting was good and it was not an overly bad movie, but there were issues with the pace and plot line.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Mercy (2018) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018
A little depressing
I think the problem with this film is that it's a little too depressing. It's a true story that hasn't been hollywood-ised, and it comes across as very bleak and sad.
Performance wise, Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz do well and they come across as endearing and likeable characters. The issue is that the story feels like it's missing something. It hurries along at a rather speedy pace and although it doesn't at least linger too long, I feel like there's more to Donald Crowhurst's story and life than they tell us. The score at times seems a little misplaced, seeming ominous in what should be a fairly light hearted scene. The scenes towards the end of the film that really highlight the loneliness and madness are done well and some are actually quite harrowing to watch. This is definitely not a feel good film.
Performance wise, Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz do well and they come across as endearing and likeable characters. The issue is that the story feels like it's missing something. It hurries along at a rather speedy pace and although it doesn't at least linger too long, I feel like there's more to Donald Crowhurst's story and life than they tell us. The score at times seems a little misplaced, seeming ominous in what should be a fairly light hearted scene. The scenes towards the end of the film that really highlight the loneliness and madness are done well and some are actually quite harrowing to watch. This is definitely not a feel good film.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Windfall (Weather Warden, #4) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The fourth book in Rachel Caine's 'Weather Warden' series, this picks up not long after the events of the previous book ("Chill Factor").
While I found both the first and the second book in the series hit the ground running and barely let up, I also felt that the third novel fumbled the ball a bit: a trend that, unfortunately, continues in this. Like the afore-mentioned previous book, this suffers from a some-what slower pace than the first two, with one plot twist (in particular) I found couldn't be any more obvious than if the blurb on the back of the book gave it away (which I have seen that happen ...)
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this book - I did - but that, compared to previous entries, I felt this was a bit of a let-down. It is possible, however, that those two books constitute the calm before the storm, so I will probably read on ...
While I found both the first and the second book in the series hit the ground running and barely let up, I also felt that the third novel fumbled the ball a bit: a trend that, unfortunately, continues in this. Like the afore-mentioned previous book, this suffers from a some-what slower pace than the first two, with one plot twist (in particular) I found couldn't be any more obvious than if the blurb on the back of the book gave it away (which I have seen that happen ...)
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this book - I did - but that, compared to previous entries, I felt this was a bit of a let-down. It is possible, however, that those two books constitute the calm before the storm, so I will probably read on ...