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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Hazardous Duty ( Squeaky Clean Mysteries book 1) in Books
Oct 30, 2022
200 of 230
Kindle
Hazardous Duty ( Squeaky Clean Mysteries book 1)
By Christy Barrit
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire dropped out of school and started her own crime scene cleaning business. Now, when a routine cleaning job leads her to a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong man is in jail. With the help of her neighbor, Gabby plays detective to make sure the right man is put behind bars. Guaranteed fiction!
This was a fun read. A good Nancy drew type of character with a quirky job as a crime scene cleaner. I found it an interesting read a book that didn’t take itself to seriously. I’m pretty sure I changed suspect 3 or 4 times and still didn’t get it in the end 😂!
Kindle
Hazardous Duty ( Squeaky Clean Mysteries book 1)
By Christy Barrit
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire dropped out of school and started her own crime scene cleaning business. Now, when a routine cleaning job leads her to a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong man is in jail. With the help of her neighbor, Gabby plays detective to make sure the right man is put behind bars. Guaranteed fiction!
This was a fun read. A good Nancy drew type of character with a quirky job as a crime scene cleaner. I found it an interesting read a book that didn’t take itself to seriously. I’m pretty sure I changed suspect 3 or 4 times and still didn’t get it in the end 😂!
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Total Recall (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Remaking classic films is always risky business. Mainly because there is a specific reason those movies are so well received – because they are the best of their time. Remakes are inherently risky because the filmmakers have a bar they have to at least reach, and they absolutely cannot tread the exact same ground as the original. They have to do something new, modern, or innovate. Or, at least they are expected to. When remakes work, they soar. When they don’t… Well, that’s another story. Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall” (1990) was an excellent science fiction monolith of its time. It stood out as a heartfelt science fiction story, one that was exceptionally aware of its own identity, design, and overall setting. It reflected the vary soul of its time – intentionally representational of culture at the time (late 80s and early 90s). If Len Wiseman’s remake, “Total Recall” (2012) is supposed to be a representation of contemporary culture in the same way as the original, then I fear our popular culture is too shallow for high minded science fiction. While not a bad movie – in fact, it is actually quite entertaining overall – it just does not feature the same soul and passion of the original film.
The premise follows the original in only a rough sense. Sometime in the future, the world has been left mostly uninhabitable due to a deadly chemical war across the globe. Humanity has been left to residing in the only remaining habitable landmasses – Western Europe and “The Colony”, the latter being modern-day Australia. Because air travel is now impossible, the only travel between the landmasses is through a massive elevator called “The Fall” that cuts through the center of the Earth. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a factory worker who works in Europe but lives in “The Colony” with his wife, Lori (Kate Beckinstale). His chronic nightmares lead him to become interested in the “Rekall” service – a machine that can implant memories into customers. His interest will lead him on a wild journey with Melina (Jessica Biel) to learn about his true self as well as secrets of Cohaagen’s (Bryan Cranston) tyrannical administration.
The problems of the film really start with the premise. While I enjoy the creativity of something like “The Fall”, it is simply too ridiculous to take seriously. They deserve credit for coming up with a relatively unknown science fiction concept, but an elevator that travels through the center of the Earth? Peoples’ suspension of disbelief can only be pushed so far. It serves a practical purpose in the plot – to create the conflict between “The Colony” and the mainland and between the government and the Resistance. Yet, too much time is spent trying to introduce this concept and make it seem plausible than the film should. It honestly seems easier to just use the original film’s conflict between settings – Mars and Earth. I have to ask, what makes an elevator between two lands more contemporary of an idea than a conflict between colonial Mars and Earth. This is especially true considering recent news that a Mars colony might be seen in our lifetimes.
The other problems are more literary. Colin Farrell’s Douglas Quaid is portrayed very well throughout the film, and he manages to make the character satisfactory in the emotional portrayal of a man with a confused past and an insane situation. But even then, I have to say Arnold’s original portrayal seemed overall more human. The problem with Colin Farrell’s character is a mixture of performance and writing in his introduction. It is hard to believe him as someone so distraught over his nightmares that he absolutely feels compelled to go to Rekall. If they spent more time exploring his inner demons and how they are bringing his life down, then he would have been a much more compelling character. As it stands, he just goes through the motions of a protagonist. All of the other characters are the same way. Kate Beckinstale’s villainous Lori and Jessica Biel’s Melina are fairly shallow characters. They are not bad at their roles but that is all they, unfortunately, are: roles. Like Quaid, they just go through the motions, playing their part as clichéd character archetypes. Bryan Cranston is always awesome in any role, but in this he is not given much to work with. All he ends up being is just an evil tyrant with a megalomaniacal plot – with very little reason or background.
Those issues said, there are many things that do work. The pacing is good throughout, with no moments feeling awkward. The art design is exceptional, and there are no moments in the film that are boring to look at. To its credit, almost every scene is full of beautiful science-fiction design. The only complaint in this area is that some of the action scenes feel very cluttered due to the overall noise of The Colony’s design. The plot moves forward steadily, and it is overall simple to understand. That said, it is not without its own faults. The plot starts out great but becomes full of usual secret agent thriller clichés. Also, the plot becomes very campy, not to mention unbelievable, in its third act. The third act is also where there are the most plot holes – notable plot holes at that.
If you can shut your brain off for a couple hours, you can enjoy “Total Recall”. The film is pretty to look at and is absolutely packed with action sequences. All of the action sequences are well shot, well paced, and entertaining. The actors all do great with what they are given; but the problem is that they are not given much. They are all fairly flat characters, but are all satisfactory for the service of the plot – a plot that is well paced and understandable, but one that becomes campy, ridiculous, and peppered with notable plot holes. It is not as tightly written and directed to be a great secret agent thriller, and not as inspired to be a great science fiction story. The original was exceptional in its setting construction – pulling the audience into the amazingly designed Paul Verhoeven world. It was full of comedy and thrills, thought and design. As it stands, the moments that could really go far in establishing a passionate soul-filled, inspired world are instead spent on making quick references to those vary moments from the original. It could have established its own voice, its own heart and soul, but it just settles on being your clichéd average science fiction blockbuster.
The premise follows the original in only a rough sense. Sometime in the future, the world has been left mostly uninhabitable due to a deadly chemical war across the globe. Humanity has been left to residing in the only remaining habitable landmasses – Western Europe and “The Colony”, the latter being modern-day Australia. Because air travel is now impossible, the only travel between the landmasses is through a massive elevator called “The Fall” that cuts through the center of the Earth. Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell) is a factory worker who works in Europe but lives in “The Colony” with his wife, Lori (Kate Beckinstale). His chronic nightmares lead him to become interested in the “Rekall” service – a machine that can implant memories into customers. His interest will lead him on a wild journey with Melina (Jessica Biel) to learn about his true self as well as secrets of Cohaagen’s (Bryan Cranston) tyrannical administration.
The problems of the film really start with the premise. While I enjoy the creativity of something like “The Fall”, it is simply too ridiculous to take seriously. They deserve credit for coming up with a relatively unknown science fiction concept, but an elevator that travels through the center of the Earth? Peoples’ suspension of disbelief can only be pushed so far. It serves a practical purpose in the plot – to create the conflict between “The Colony” and the mainland and between the government and the Resistance. Yet, too much time is spent trying to introduce this concept and make it seem plausible than the film should. It honestly seems easier to just use the original film’s conflict between settings – Mars and Earth. I have to ask, what makes an elevator between two lands more contemporary of an idea than a conflict between colonial Mars and Earth. This is especially true considering recent news that a Mars colony might be seen in our lifetimes.
The other problems are more literary. Colin Farrell’s Douglas Quaid is portrayed very well throughout the film, and he manages to make the character satisfactory in the emotional portrayal of a man with a confused past and an insane situation. But even then, I have to say Arnold’s original portrayal seemed overall more human. The problem with Colin Farrell’s character is a mixture of performance and writing in his introduction. It is hard to believe him as someone so distraught over his nightmares that he absolutely feels compelled to go to Rekall. If they spent more time exploring his inner demons and how they are bringing his life down, then he would have been a much more compelling character. As it stands, he just goes through the motions of a protagonist. All of the other characters are the same way. Kate Beckinstale’s villainous Lori and Jessica Biel’s Melina are fairly shallow characters. They are not bad at their roles but that is all they, unfortunately, are: roles. Like Quaid, they just go through the motions, playing their part as clichéd character archetypes. Bryan Cranston is always awesome in any role, but in this he is not given much to work with. All he ends up being is just an evil tyrant with a megalomaniacal plot – with very little reason or background.
Those issues said, there are many things that do work. The pacing is good throughout, with no moments feeling awkward. The art design is exceptional, and there are no moments in the film that are boring to look at. To its credit, almost every scene is full of beautiful science-fiction design. The only complaint in this area is that some of the action scenes feel very cluttered due to the overall noise of The Colony’s design. The plot moves forward steadily, and it is overall simple to understand. That said, it is not without its own faults. The plot starts out great but becomes full of usual secret agent thriller clichés. Also, the plot becomes very campy, not to mention unbelievable, in its third act. The third act is also where there are the most plot holes – notable plot holes at that.
If you can shut your brain off for a couple hours, you can enjoy “Total Recall”. The film is pretty to look at and is absolutely packed with action sequences. All of the action sequences are well shot, well paced, and entertaining. The actors all do great with what they are given; but the problem is that they are not given much. They are all fairly flat characters, but are all satisfactory for the service of the plot – a plot that is well paced and understandable, but one that becomes campy, ridiculous, and peppered with notable plot holes. It is not as tightly written and directed to be a great secret agent thriller, and not as inspired to be a great science fiction story. The original was exceptional in its setting construction – pulling the audience into the amazingly designed Paul Verhoeven world. It was full of comedy and thrills, thought and design. As it stands, the moments that could really go far in establishing a passionate soul-filled, inspired world are instead spent on making quick references to those vary moments from the original. It could have established its own voice, its own heart and soul, but it just settles on being your clichéd average science fiction blockbuster.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Curvature (2018) in Movies
Jul 8, 2019
If there’s any particular genre i’m particularly keen too, it’s science fiction. Books, movies, television, comics, you name it. I’ve been watching the old school versions of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and ‘The Outer Limits’ since I was like 5 years old (that could explain quite a few things actually). As far as movies? That’s going to lead only to the past, the future, other dimensions, etc. If you had to nail it down even further within the genre of science fiction, I’d have to go right to anything revolving around time travel. That’s where today’s film for your consideration comes in. This one in particular doesn’t seem to be getting the credit it deserves and although it’s a bit rough around the edges, I think it also deserves a shot.
‘Curvature’ is a 2017 science fiction/thriller film (released on February 23rd of this year) written by Brian DeLeeuw and directed by Diego Hallivis. The film stars Lyndsy Fonseca, Noah Bean, Glenn Morshower, Zach Avery, Alex Lanipekun, and Linda Hamilton (yes … THEE Linda Hamilton as in ‘Sarah Conner’).
Helen (Fonseca) is grieving the lose of her husband Wells (Bean) in the aftermath of his suicide. Not long after, Wells’s colleague Tomas (Morshower) seeks her out and asks for her blessing to continue the research project that he and Wells were involved in. Being an engineer and a scientist herself, she agrees and not long after returns to work trying to confront the grief as best she can with the guidance and help of her mentor Florence (Hamilton). Without warning, Helen succumbs to a blackout and awakens several days later. Upon awakening at home, she learns that several days have passed and receives a phone call …. from HERSELF. Helen warns herself to get out of the house as soon as possible as a man in a black BMW is coming to the house to kill her. In the confusion that follows, she manages to barely escape and seek out her friend Alex. What follows is a story of deceit, betrayal, and a conspiracy that goes beyond what Helen could imagine where she can’t trust anyone … not even her future self.
Obviously, i’m biased her being partial to the genre. That being said .. this movie is was, is, and will be excellent. 4 out of 5 stars. What impressed me about the film was how well the writing went with the talent of all the actors involved. My only real complaint, is that I wish they had incorporated more dialogue into the 90 minute movie. It’s almost like they sacrificed time between characters for the special effects which I will say, were absolutely awesome for an independent film. The film fell somewhere between a movie and a television episode as far as the experience. I would’ve preferred it to be one or the other and not in between if that makes any sense. However, I was still blown away by the film and will gladly watch it again and add it to my library at the first opportunity. Not to give too much of the film away, one thing I found unique about this particular time-travel film is how the writer came up with the concept that the nature of the ‘experiment’ allowed for someone to only go back so far into the past between a few hours and a few days limiting how far back you could alter history so-to-speak. The intent wasn’t necessarily to save because too much time had passed … but to ‘stop’. As for the ‘star power of the film’, I saw it as a tip of the hat to other films in the time travel genre. This film definitely deserves a place in the science fiction/time travel library. Take my suggestion and give it a look.
‘Curvature’ is a 2017 science fiction/thriller film (released on February 23rd of this year) written by Brian DeLeeuw and directed by Diego Hallivis. The film stars Lyndsy Fonseca, Noah Bean, Glenn Morshower, Zach Avery, Alex Lanipekun, and Linda Hamilton (yes … THEE Linda Hamilton as in ‘Sarah Conner’).
Helen (Fonseca) is grieving the lose of her husband Wells (Bean) in the aftermath of his suicide. Not long after, Wells’s colleague Tomas (Morshower) seeks her out and asks for her blessing to continue the research project that he and Wells were involved in. Being an engineer and a scientist herself, she agrees and not long after returns to work trying to confront the grief as best she can with the guidance and help of her mentor Florence (Hamilton). Without warning, Helen succumbs to a blackout and awakens several days later. Upon awakening at home, she learns that several days have passed and receives a phone call …. from HERSELF. Helen warns herself to get out of the house as soon as possible as a man in a black BMW is coming to the house to kill her. In the confusion that follows, she manages to barely escape and seek out her friend Alex. What follows is a story of deceit, betrayal, and a conspiracy that goes beyond what Helen could imagine where she can’t trust anyone … not even her future self.
Obviously, i’m biased her being partial to the genre. That being said .. this movie is was, is, and will be excellent. 4 out of 5 stars. What impressed me about the film was how well the writing went with the talent of all the actors involved. My only real complaint, is that I wish they had incorporated more dialogue into the 90 minute movie. It’s almost like they sacrificed time between characters for the special effects which I will say, were absolutely awesome for an independent film. The film fell somewhere between a movie and a television episode as far as the experience. I would’ve preferred it to be one or the other and not in between if that makes any sense. However, I was still blown away by the film and will gladly watch it again and add it to my library at the first opportunity. Not to give too much of the film away, one thing I found unique about this particular time-travel film is how the writer came up with the concept that the nature of the ‘experiment’ allowed for someone to only go back so far into the past between a few hours and a few days limiting how far back you could alter history so-to-speak. The intent wasn’t necessarily to save because too much time had passed … but to ‘stop’. As for the ‘star power of the film’, I saw it as a tip of the hat to other films in the time travel genre. This film definitely deserves a place in the science fiction/time travel library. Take my suggestion and give it a look.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Summoner’s Sins (Sandal Castle Medieval Thrillers #3) in Books
Mar 30, 2021
The Summoner’s Sins is a really engaging historical fiction set in the 14th century. I really liked that real historical people were used in the narrative, and the attitudes of medieval people towards religion and witchcraft always fascinates me. The average medieval person was a very superstitious type - which I suppose was an understandable way to make sense of the world without science. Curses shouted out from the gallows abound in this story, and there are plenty of rebels in the background who are only too happy to make it look as though they are curses that have come true.
Richard Lee is a reasoned and logical man, and able to tell a curse from an actual murder - and thank goodness for him! I really liked the characters that Keith Moray has written in to this story, and Richard and Hubert are great lead characters. Richard is a god-fearing man, but he doesn’t let religion get in the way of the truth. Hubert is ever faithful to Richard and their pursuit of the truth.
I really very much enjoyed this book - I do like historical fiction (you’ve probably guessed this by now!) and I enjoy a good mystery. This delivered in spades on both counts.
Many thanks to Sapere Books for providing me with an e-ARC.
Richard Lee is a reasoned and logical man, and able to tell a curse from an actual murder - and thank goodness for him! I really liked the characters that Keith Moray has written in to this story, and Richard and Hubert are great lead characters. Richard is a god-fearing man, but he doesn’t let religion get in the way of the truth. Hubert is ever faithful to Richard and their pursuit of the truth.
I really very much enjoyed this book - I do like historical fiction (you’ve probably guessed this by now!) and I enjoy a good mystery. This delivered in spades on both counts.
Many thanks to Sapere Books for providing me with an e-ARC.
Ruth Frampton (577 KP) rated Stuck in the Stone Age in Books
Apr 10, 2018
This delightful story aimed at the younger independent reader had me enthralled from the start. The connections throughout to the section at the end on how to write a novel just like this and the association with a youngster whose ideas is used for this narrative all adds to the connection felt.
Tom Edison (No, not that Tom Edison) loves science and when he somehow gets a job at a science research centre he feels his life is perfect, but then the accident with the time machine happens and that is only the beginning of his adventures with his soon to become scientist friend, Dr Morice.
At times this book had me truly laughing out loud and one I had finished it, left me already wanting to read the next story with these characters. I look forward to seeing them available in the near future.
At the back of this book is a section dedicated to writing fiction, aimed at the younger writer, it serves to give them a framework in which to shape their writing and supports them throughout with positive messages and encouragement to complete. The authors even ask them to send their attempts in for them to read. So looking forward to reading the next young writers story, if it's anything like this one, it will be great.
Tom Edison (No, not that Tom Edison) loves science and when he somehow gets a job at a science research centre he feels his life is perfect, but then the accident with the time machine happens and that is only the beginning of his adventures with his soon to become scientist friend, Dr Morice.
At times this book had me truly laughing out loud and one I had finished it, left me already wanting to read the next story with these characters. I look forward to seeing them available in the near future.
At the back of this book is a section dedicated to writing fiction, aimed at the younger writer, it serves to give them a framework in which to shape their writing and supports them throughout with positive messages and encouragement to complete. The authors even ask them to send their attempts in for them to read. So looking forward to reading the next young writers story, if it's anything like this one, it will be great.
b.Young (97 KP) rated The Six (The Six #1) in Books
May 2, 2018
AI theme (4 more)
Quick read
Great character development
Unique plot
Well written
Action-packed and exciting
I hadn't really given the Science Fiction genre a fair chance, so I decided that this would be a "starter" book. I figured since it was Book 1 of a series, I'd either love this book enough to get the next 2 or just abandon all hope for the genre.
I am happy to say that I found this book action-packed and exciting with a unique plot.
Well developed characters bring you into the story and make you actually care what happens to them.
The thought of humans having their minds transferred into AI robots (as well as other objects) is amazing and frightening all at the same time...especially when it is for the purpose of defeating a lab-created AI that has gone rogue with an objective to annihilate the human race!
I am happy to say that I found this book action-packed and exciting with a unique plot.
Well developed characters bring you into the story and make you actually care what happens to them.
The thought of humans having their minds transferred into AI robots (as well as other objects) is amazing and frightening all at the same time...especially when it is for the purpose of defeating a lab-created AI that has gone rogue with an objective to annihilate the human race!
Mothergamer (1521 KP) rated Counterpart - Season 1 in TV
Mar 5, 2018
Great Dramatic Science Fiction Thriller
I like J.K. Simmons so I was intrigued by this new show and decided to check it out. It is quite interesting in the fact that it tells you right away that there is a parallel Earth that is similar to ours and everyone has an other that looks just like them with the same name similar memories to a point, but certain paths in their lives diverge so there are slight differences between the prime person and their other. J.K. Simmons really shines in this playing the main characters Howard Silk and Other Howard Silk. There are differences in the parallel world compared to the prime world as well. The story is great with interesting characters, intense drama, and the cast is great as well. It always keeps you guessing and it's really well done.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Spaced Out (Moon Base Alpha #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When you are living in a small base on the moon, it’s hard to vanish. And yet, that’s exactly what has happened to Nina Stack, the commander. Dash Gibson finds himself in the middle of the hunt for the missing woman, all the time with one thought in the back of his mind – if they don’t find her soon, time might run out.
This is a delightful combination of mystery and science fiction that will keep fans of either genre turning pages. The characters are sharp and well done. There are plenty of twists and clues. Plus there are some very funny scenes. My only warning is that this book spoils the first in the series, but that’s a very minor issue since both books are delightful reads.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-spaced-out-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a delightful combination of mystery and science fiction that will keep fans of either genre turning pages. The characters are sharp and well done. There are plenty of twists and clues. Plus there are some very funny scenes. My only warning is that this book spoils the first in the series, but that’s a very minor issue since both books are delightful reads.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-spaced-out-by-stuart-gibbs.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
David McK (3251 KP) rated The Postman in Books
Jan 28, 2019
1986's winner of the 'Locus Award for Best Science-fiction novel' (same year as Orson Scott's Card's Ender's Game), this is also the basis for the Kevin Costner film of the same name.
Set in a post-apocalyptic America, this starts with Brin's central character of Gordon Krantz being robbed, and seeking to ambush his robbers. Losing his way when tracking them, he stumbles across a crashed post-van, with the uniform of the driver still intact, as is the mail to be delivered. Originally taking the mail to read for entertainment (and the uniform for warmth!), Krantz soon finds himself living the lie of being an actual postman for 'The Restored United States', heralding the (re)spread of civilization. The novel also hints that it might just be Krantz's actions that brings about that spread, acting as the catalyst for the reunification of several disparate communities.
Set in a post-apocalyptic America, this starts with Brin's central character of Gordon Krantz being robbed, and seeking to ambush his robbers. Losing his way when tracking them, he stumbles across a crashed post-van, with the uniform of the driver still intact, as is the mail to be delivered. Originally taking the mail to read for entertainment (and the uniform for warmth!), Krantz soon finds himself living the lie of being an actual postman for 'The Restored United States', heralding the (re)spread of civilization. The novel also hints that it might just be Krantz's actions that brings about that spread, acting as the catalyst for the reunification of several disparate communities.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Traitor (Maelstrom Chronicles, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
I received this book from Entangled Publishing in return for a fair and honest review.
This is a complex and intricate science fiction story with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. It is the second book in the series although it can be read as a standalone (as I have) and I don't feel that you lose too much by doing so. It also has a considerably large character list for you to keep track of. Traitor is quite a long book so you get a lot of book for your buck.
On the whole, this was an enjoyable read with lots of different opinions, points of view and action spots to keep you interested. It is well-written at a steady pace, building up to the climax. For lovers of Sci-Fi, I can definitely recommend it.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a complex and intricate science fiction story with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. It is the second book in the series although it can be read as a standalone (as I have) and I don't feel that you lose too much by doing so. It also has a considerably large character list for you to keep track of. Traitor is quite a long book so you get a lot of book for your buck.
On the whole, this was an enjoyable read with lots of different opinions, points of view and action spots to keep you interested. It is well-written at a steady pace, building up to the climax. For lovers of Sci-Fi, I can definitely recommend it.
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!