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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Collection (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
From the creative yet somewhat disturbed minds of Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton (Saw IV, V VI and 3D). The Collection is a suspense horror that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seats. The film is based on an insane masked killer who “collects” bodies after his victims undergo a series of macabre torture and death. Staring Josh Stewart (The Dark Knight Rises) who portrays a man named Arkin who has been tortured himself. Arkin is forced to help find Elena who is portrayed by Emma Fitzpatrick (The Social Network) who decided to attend an underground rave with her friends and was the only one who survived a brutal bloody massacre on the entire club. Christopher McDonald (“Boardwalk Empire”) is Elena’s father and is extremely wealthy and hires a team to help locate Elena and bring down this masked crazed killer. Arkin is forced to help the team by going back to the very place he had once escaped to help find Elena. The team is lead into a maze of disturbing rooms and halls booby-trapped with all sorts of insane killing machines. Will Elena and the team be able to return safely to their families?
Fans of the Saw films will find that The Collection is a spitting image of its sister movie with the same gruesome killer and horrific killing machines. Granted that the ideas may be similar the stories are quite different and executed very well. The film is very bloody yet heroic at the same time and though some scenes and dialog proved to be quite ridiculous as generated by the audience’s laughter, in the end was somewhat of an entertaining thrill ride. The film is not your run of the mill slasher film where the killer is after a young group of kids who are being chased in a forest out in the middle of nowhere. The victims in this film are all types of people who are wanted for the killers collection of gruesome horrors.
You do not need to see the previous film in the series “The Collector” to enjoy this film but the background knowledge does help with the mythos of the character.
Though the film is somewhat entertaining with all its gruesomeness, I seem to be more of a fan of the Saw franchise. Even with the same sort of plot of mice all headed for the cheese just with a bunch of death traps in the way. It just seemed as though there wasn’t really a back story and it did not expand upon the previous film that much. Granted one really is not needed it may have helped with the flow of the film. The Collection is recommended but is not a must see film and does not add to the excitement of movies to come in the coming years.
Fans of the Saw films will find that The Collection is a spitting image of its sister movie with the same gruesome killer and horrific killing machines. Granted that the ideas may be similar the stories are quite different and executed very well. The film is very bloody yet heroic at the same time and though some scenes and dialog proved to be quite ridiculous as generated by the audience’s laughter, in the end was somewhat of an entertaining thrill ride. The film is not your run of the mill slasher film where the killer is after a young group of kids who are being chased in a forest out in the middle of nowhere. The victims in this film are all types of people who are wanted for the killers collection of gruesome horrors.
You do not need to see the previous film in the series “The Collector” to enjoy this film but the background knowledge does help with the mythos of the character.
Though the film is somewhat entertaining with all its gruesomeness, I seem to be more of a fan of the Saw franchise. Even with the same sort of plot of mice all headed for the cheese just with a bunch of death traps in the way. It just seemed as though there wasn’t really a back story and it did not expand upon the previous film that much. Granted one really is not needed it may have helped with the flow of the film. The Collection is recommended but is not a must see film and does not add to the excitement of movies to come in the coming years.

Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The White City in Books
Mar 1, 2019
The Characters (3 more)
The Plot Line
True Crime Elements
Writing Style
Fantastic Debut!
I am a lover of true crime, historical fiction, suspense and romance. I mean a huge lover of all of them. So, when I saw that this was the best of all of those worlds, I was ecstatic. This is a debut novel from Grace Hitchcock and let me tell you what. The detail she includes in this story, made me feel like I was right there in the center of the World’s Fair, following these awesome characters, and reaching an ending that left me wanting another story just like it.
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Winnie and Jude’s characters are wonderful! I loved them so good. The detail with which Hitchcock created the scenes that Winnie saw, and went through, and how Jude fell for her, was awesome. I felt like I became Winnie and fell for Jude instantly. Jude was a sweet soul and Winnie was absolutely full of spunk and sass!
The real life serial killer aspect woven into the story was incredible. I had no idea about that time period having someone like that, and it really made the story that much more captivating. The twists and turns of the roller coaster story, seeing Winnie going “undercover” to prove to her Police Chief father that she was right, was fantastic and had me reading this book and finishing it in a 24 hour period.
If you love historical novels, love the thrills of a great suspense story, and enjoy reading a God-filled romance book, then look no further than this 4 star debut. Ms. Hitchcock has extreme talent and is sure to be on the best sellers list before long! I sing the praises of this story loudly and can’t wait for the next book from this talented author, as well as another incredible installment in this new series from Barbour!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

Alicia S (193 KP) rated Untamed (Thoughtless, #4) in Books
Sep 28, 2018
Oh, Griffin... (smh). First off, I am a HUGE fan of the Thoughtless series. This is one of my all-time TOP favorite series. SC Stephens has a way of writing that brings you so close to the characters that you feel as if you know them personally. I was completely caught up emotionally in this series from day one and I still carry it with me. It's almost scary his much this series affected me... I was so overly sensitive to their thoughts and feelings, it was as if I was experiencing it firsthand. This most recent addition was no exception. On a personal note, this was a very tough book for me to read as the overall theme hit very close to home for me. Watching the lies and deceit flow so easily from Griffin was very hard to stomach. His snowball of bad decisions was painful to watch, for him, Anna and the girls and for the rest of the band and family. I love the D-Bags but always saw Griffin as that annoying friend that you just can't help but love and hate. I found him incredibly annoying at times and hearing it all from his POV was interesting as you saw that he did truly justify his actions.. in his own Griffin kinda way. As frustrating as it was at times, making me want to smack the $hit out of him, he was easier to understand. In the end, he rectified himself in a way that I never thought Id seem, nor did anyone else!? We all got to finally see out Hulk grown up. He's still there, just in controlled doses.. ;-) His relationship with Anna and the girls was beautiful to witness.. we really got to see a whole other side to him. This book tore me up, left me hanging at moment, scared to death and made me bawl my eyes out... Yet another masterpiece form SC Stephens.. surely not to be missed!
TO
The Oxford English Literary History: Volume V: 1645-1714: The Later Seventeenth Century
Book
The Oxford English Literary History is the new century's definitive account of a rich and diverse...

Caribou recommended Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich in Music (curated)

Terry Gilliam recommended Pinocchio (1940) in Movies (curated)

Matthew Weiner recommended And Now My Love (1974) in Movies (curated)

The Euro and the Battle of Ideas
Markus Brunnermeier, Harold James and Jean-Pierre Landau
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Why is Europe's great monetary endeavor, the Euro, in trouble? A string of economic difficulties in...
Politics International Affairs Economics

Spark of Madness (Ember Glen #1)
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In Ember Glen, men purge under the full moon. It’s the duty of women to serve them. When Mercy...
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Black Widow in Books
Apr 11, 2022
63 of 230
Book
The Black Widow
By Linda Calvey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Growing up after the war in the East End of London, Linda falls in with local gangsters including the Krays, Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Cook.
When the love of her life, Mickey Calvey, is gunned down on a job gone wrong, Linda resolves to carry on his work.
But in 1990, after years of living in fear of her lover Ronnie Cook, Linda finds herself accused of his murder alongside Danny Reece, in a trial that shocks the nation. Still, Linda sticks to her code of honour, refusing to confess. Until now...
After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released.
This is the final truth about her life and what happened the day Ronnie Cook was murdered.
This is a book that could go one way or the other. Some may say Linda Calvey is glamourising her life of crime that she’s name dropping and making herself more than what she is. Too a point I can see these opinions. I went into this book not knowing what to Expect I also went in with an open mind. In my opinion it seemed a very honest telling of her life but I only went by what I could read and and see between the lines. I saw a lot of regret especially when it came to her children. I also saw the lure of being offered a glamorous lifestyle. Do i like her or agree with her lifestyle? Not really she did the time for her crimes though! Do i believe her accounts about the murder of Roy? I’m not sure but I’m not a judge! I want to say I really enjoyed this book and sometimes I had to remember I wasn’t reading a Martina Cole novel 😂. Do I buy all the things she did? I do think maybe some embellishments occurred but overall it was definitely an interesting read.
Book
The Black Widow
By Linda Calvey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Growing up after the war in the East End of London, Linda falls in with local gangsters including the Krays, Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Cook.
When the love of her life, Mickey Calvey, is gunned down on a job gone wrong, Linda resolves to carry on his work.
But in 1990, after years of living in fear of her lover Ronnie Cook, Linda finds herself accused of his murder alongside Danny Reece, in a trial that shocks the nation. Still, Linda sticks to her code of honour, refusing to confess. Until now...
After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released.
This is the final truth about her life and what happened the day Ronnie Cook was murdered.
This is a book that could go one way or the other. Some may say Linda Calvey is glamourising her life of crime that she’s name dropping and making herself more than what she is. Too a point I can see these opinions. I went into this book not knowing what to Expect I also went in with an open mind. In my opinion it seemed a very honest telling of her life but I only went by what I could read and and see between the lines. I saw a lot of regret especially when it came to her children. I also saw the lure of being offered a glamorous lifestyle. Do i like her or agree with her lifestyle? Not really she did the time for her crimes though! Do i believe her accounts about the murder of Roy? I’m not sure but I’m not a judge! I want to say I really enjoyed this book and sometimes I had to remember I wasn’t reading a Martina Cole novel 😂. Do I buy all the things she did? I do think maybe some embellishments occurred but overall it was definitely an interesting read.