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Life Moves Pretty Fast: The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies (and Why We Don't Learn Them from Movies Any More)
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Hadley Freeman brings us her personalised guide to American movies from the 1980s - why they are...
Forever Rumpole: The Best of the Rumpole Stories
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Forever Rumpole - a hilarious new selection of the very best Rumpole stories by John Mortimer Horace...
The Ghost of Hollow House
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Mina Scarletti returns in her most thrilling mystery yet! Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes,...
Ghosts Suspense Historical Fiction
Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Link To Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #3) in Books
Aug 29, 2021
I haven't read anything by Mr Horowitz before and was a little apprehensive about reading this, with it being the third in the series, but I needn't have worried - this is a unique and enjoyable mystery.
I have never read a book where the author puts himself as one of the main characters in a book but here he is joining up with an ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne and, I must say, it really worked for me. Mr Horowitz doesn't take himself too seriously and he comes across as a Dr Watson-type character to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes - which, let's face it, isn't a bad thing at all. How much the fictional Horowitz is like the real Horowitz, I don't know but I like him!
Anyway, Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to take part in a literary festival on the island of Alderney. A murder ensues and Hawthorne is asked to assist the local constabulary to investigate with Horowitz in tow. The relationship between the two is a complex one ... do they really like each other or do they just tolerate each other for the purposes of writing books? I am still working that one out but I am liking it.
This is a proper old-style mystery with a cast of excellent characters many of whom have their own secrets which creates multiple suspects and I for one must have said "I knew it was them all along" numerous times and was wrong! There is a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments which make this a fun and enjoyable read with a very satisfying ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was quite nice to read a murder/mystery without a plethora of violence for once and I am very much looking forward to more "adventures" from Hawthorne and Horowitz.
A thank you must go to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
I have never read a book where the author puts himself as one of the main characters in a book but here he is joining up with an ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne and, I must say, it really worked for me. Mr Horowitz doesn't take himself too seriously and he comes across as a Dr Watson-type character to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes - which, let's face it, isn't a bad thing at all. How much the fictional Horowitz is like the real Horowitz, I don't know but I like him!
Anyway, Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to take part in a literary festival on the island of Alderney. A murder ensues and Hawthorne is asked to assist the local constabulary to investigate with Horowitz in tow. The relationship between the two is a complex one ... do they really like each other or do they just tolerate each other for the purposes of writing books? I am still working that one out but I am liking it.
This is a proper old-style mystery with a cast of excellent characters many of whom have their own secrets which creates multiple suspects and I for one must have said "I knew it was them all along" numerous times and was wrong! There is a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments which make this a fun and enjoyable read with a very satisfying ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was quite nice to read a murder/mystery without a plethora of violence for once and I am very much looking forward to more "adventures" from Hawthorne and Horowitz.
A thank you must go to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Well multiversed.
In the latest Marvel film (notably now available with the snazzy new Marvel production logo at the start) Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”, “Star Trek Into Darkness”) plays the titular hero: a neurosurgeon with exceptional skills, an encyclopedic knowledge of discographies and an ego to rival Donald Trump.
After an horrific car crash (topically addressing the dangers of mobile use while driving) Strange loses the ability to practice his craft, and descends into a spiral of self-pity and despair. Finding a similar soul, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt, “24: Live Another Day”) who’s undergone a miracle cure, Strange travels to Katmandu in search of similar salvation where he is trained in spiritual control by “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton, “Hail Caesar”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) ably supported by her assistant Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”) and librarian Wong (Benedict Wong, “The Martian”). So far so “Batman Begins”.
As always in these films though there is also a villain, in this case a rogue former pupil turned to the dark side (have we not been here before Anakin?) called Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelssen, “Quantum of Solace”). The world risks total destruction from spiritual attack (“…the Avengers handle the physical threats…” – LOL) and the team stand together to battle Kaecilius’s attempts to open a portal (“Zuuuul”) and ‘let the right one in’.
Followers of this blog will generally be aware that I am not a great fan of the Marvel and DC universes in general. However, there is a large variation in the style of films dished out by the studios ranging from the pompously full-of-themselves films at the “Batman vs Superman” (bottom) end to the more light-hearted (bordering on “Kick-Ass-style”) films at the “Ant Man” (top) end. Along this continuum I would judge “Doctor Strange” to be about a 7: so it is a lot more fun than I expected it to be.
The film is largely carried by Cumberbatch, effecting a vaguely annoying American accent but generally adding acting credence to some pretty ludicrous material. In particular he milks all the comic lines to maximum effect, leading to some genuinely funny moments: yes, the comedy gold extends past Ejiofor’s (very funny) wi-fi password line in the trailer.
Cumberbatch also has the range to convincingly play the fall of the egocentric Strange: his extreme unpleasantness towards his beleaguered on/off girlfriend (the ever-reliable Rachel McAdams (“Sherlock Holmes”)) drew audible gasps of shock from a few of the ‘Cumberbitches’ in my screening. (As I’m writing this on November 9th, the day of Trumpagedden, we might have already found a candidate able to play the new President elect!)
In fact, the whole of the first half of the film is a delight: Strange’s decline; effective Nepalese locations; a highly entertaining “training” sequence; and Cumberbatch and Swinton sparking off each other beautifully.
Where the film pitches downhill is where it gets too “BIG”: both in a hugely overblown New York morphing sequence (the – remember – human heroes suffer skyscraper-level falls without injury) and where (traditionally) a cosmic being gets involved and our puny heroes have to defend earth against it. Once again we have a “big CGI thing” centre screen with the logic behind the (long-term) defeating of the “big CGI thing” little better than that behind the defeat of the “big CGI thing” in “Batman vs Superman” (but without Gal Gadot’s legs unfortunately to distract the male audience).
Music is by Michael Giacchino, and his suitably bombastic Strange theme is given a very nice reworking over the end titles. By the way, for those who are interested in “Monkeys” (see glossary) there is a scene a few minutes into the credits featuring Strange and one of the Avengers (fairly pointless) and a second right at the end of the credits featuring Pangborn and Mordo setting up (not very convincingly I must say) the potential villain for Strange 2.
Not Shakespeare, but still an enjoyable and fun night out at the movies and far better than I was expecting.
After an horrific car crash (topically addressing the dangers of mobile use while driving) Strange loses the ability to practice his craft, and descends into a spiral of self-pity and despair. Finding a similar soul, Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt, “24: Live Another Day”) who’s undergone a miracle cure, Strange travels to Katmandu in search of similar salvation where he is trained in spiritual control by “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton, “Hail Caesar”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) ably supported by her assistant Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”) and librarian Wong (Benedict Wong, “The Martian”). So far so “Batman Begins”.
As always in these films though there is also a villain, in this case a rogue former pupil turned to the dark side (have we not been here before Anakin?) called Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelssen, “Quantum of Solace”). The world risks total destruction from spiritual attack (“…the Avengers handle the physical threats…” – LOL) and the team stand together to battle Kaecilius’s attempts to open a portal (“Zuuuul”) and ‘let the right one in’.
Followers of this blog will generally be aware that I am not a great fan of the Marvel and DC universes in general. However, there is a large variation in the style of films dished out by the studios ranging from the pompously full-of-themselves films at the “Batman vs Superman” (bottom) end to the more light-hearted (bordering on “Kick-Ass-style”) films at the “Ant Man” (top) end. Along this continuum I would judge “Doctor Strange” to be about a 7: so it is a lot more fun than I expected it to be.
The film is largely carried by Cumberbatch, effecting a vaguely annoying American accent but generally adding acting credence to some pretty ludicrous material. In particular he milks all the comic lines to maximum effect, leading to some genuinely funny moments: yes, the comedy gold extends past Ejiofor’s (very funny) wi-fi password line in the trailer.
Cumberbatch also has the range to convincingly play the fall of the egocentric Strange: his extreme unpleasantness towards his beleaguered on/off girlfriend (the ever-reliable Rachel McAdams (“Sherlock Holmes”)) drew audible gasps of shock from a few of the ‘Cumberbitches’ in my screening. (As I’m writing this on November 9th, the day of Trumpagedden, we might have already found a candidate able to play the new President elect!)
In fact, the whole of the first half of the film is a delight: Strange’s decline; effective Nepalese locations; a highly entertaining “training” sequence; and Cumberbatch and Swinton sparking off each other beautifully.
Where the film pitches downhill is where it gets too “BIG”: both in a hugely overblown New York morphing sequence (the – remember – human heroes suffer skyscraper-level falls without injury) and where (traditionally) a cosmic being gets involved and our puny heroes have to defend earth against it. Once again we have a “big CGI thing” centre screen with the logic behind the (long-term) defeating of the “big CGI thing” little better than that behind the defeat of the “big CGI thing” in “Batman vs Superman” (but without Gal Gadot’s legs unfortunately to distract the male audience).
Music is by Michael Giacchino, and his suitably bombastic Strange theme is given a very nice reworking over the end titles. By the way, for those who are interested in “Monkeys” (see glossary) there is a scene a few minutes into the credits featuring Strange and one of the Avengers (fairly pointless) and a second right at the end of the credits featuring Pangborn and Mordo setting up (not very convincingly I must say) the potential villain for Strange 2.
Not Shakespeare, but still an enjoyable and fun night out at the movies and far better than I was expecting.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Mr. Holmes (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The new Roadside Attractions film Mr. Holmes is a new twist on an age-old story.
We first see Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellan) in a train voyage with a package, and we don’t know to or from where he’s going or why.
The entire movie is full of flash backs and multiple time frames of the same mans life, as he tries to piece together memories that seem to lie just beyond his ability to recollect
Holmes has retired from his detective business and is cared for by widowed housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her young son Roger (Milo Parker).
Roger is quick witted and interested in anything Holmes might be able to teach him, and throughout the movie their relationship moves from one of strained and grumpy acceptance (on the part of Holmes) to one of grandfatherly love. It is a beautiful relationship that develops between the two, and makes the near -disaster that occurs at the end of the film even more heart wrenching.
It is of utmost importance to Holmes that he remember the details of his last case, 30 years prior, that apparently caused him to close up shop as a detective and retire to the coast. The trip we see him on in the opening scene turns out to be a trip to Japan to meet with Mr. Umezaki (Hiroyuki Sanada) who helped him search for, and ultimately find, a plant (prickly ash) said to have curative powers for memory problems.
Holmes plays both the role of his younger self and as the 93 year old man with advancing Alzheimer’s very very well. I believed the character as a 60 year old and just as much as a 93 year old.
The film felt a little bit long, and there were a few slow spots but overall it flowed very well despite all the jumping around in time & place, and it wove together the stories past & present to tell a cohesive and interesting tale. It built relationships between the main characters and I could see the bond between Holmes and Roger, and even the somewhat prickly Mrs. Munro growing throughout the film.
I would give this film 4 out of 5 stars.
We first see Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellan) in a train voyage with a package, and we don’t know to or from where he’s going or why.
The entire movie is full of flash backs and multiple time frames of the same mans life, as he tries to piece together memories that seem to lie just beyond his ability to recollect
Holmes has retired from his detective business and is cared for by widowed housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her young son Roger (Milo Parker).
Roger is quick witted and interested in anything Holmes might be able to teach him, and throughout the movie their relationship moves from one of strained and grumpy acceptance (on the part of Holmes) to one of grandfatherly love. It is a beautiful relationship that develops between the two, and makes the near -disaster that occurs at the end of the film even more heart wrenching.
It is of utmost importance to Holmes that he remember the details of his last case, 30 years prior, that apparently caused him to close up shop as a detective and retire to the coast. The trip we see him on in the opening scene turns out to be a trip to Japan to meet with Mr. Umezaki (Hiroyuki Sanada) who helped him search for, and ultimately find, a plant (prickly ash) said to have curative powers for memory problems.
Holmes plays both the role of his younger self and as the 93 year old man with advancing Alzheimer’s very very well. I believed the character as a 60 year old and just as much as a 93 year old.
The film felt a little bit long, and there were a few slow spots but overall it flowed very well despite all the jumping around in time & place, and it wove together the stories past & present to tell a cohesive and interesting tale. It built relationships between the main characters and I could see the bond between Holmes and Roger, and even the somewhat prickly Mrs. Munro growing throughout the film.
I would give this film 4 out of 5 stars.
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Breathless ( Scarlet Suffragette book 2) in Books
Mar 29, 2022
54 of 230
Kindle
Breathless (Scarlet Suffragette book 2)
By Nicola Claire
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series continues with a dark and sinister London City at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector...
Determined doctor? Interfering busybody? Fearless fighter?
The London of Anna Cassidy's memories is not the London she faces today. Having proved her worth as a physician, Dr Cassidy finds herself pitted against the stolid attitude of a male-dominated society.
But it's not only society she has to contend with.
A criminal mastermind has set themselves up in London, England; chosen the dirty streets of Whitechapel and Lambeth as their stage. Competing against a devious and cunning opponent sets Anna and her closest friends off on a dire adventure, which could culminate in a loss so great Anna may never recover again.
Steadfast police inspector? Loyal guardian? Caring lover?
Anna, however, is not alone. Or, at least, she won't be once Inspector Kelly finds her. Facing the ghosts of his past, Andrew Kelly rushes to face Anna's enemies and protect the woman he loves.
But Anna is not unable to defend herself.
Proving she needs him is a task Inspector Kelly would gladly undertake. But the city of Andrew's birth is more in the grip of evil machinations than it has ever been, bringing to mind memories of a dark London, ripped to within an inch of its life by a devil known to most simply as Jack.
Andrew knows otherwise. For his secrets are unravelling and within their shadowed corners lies a murderer, a poisoner, and a villain so deceitful that nothing is what it appears to be.
A gritty, twisted, and authentic Victorian romantic suspense, sure to rip you apart... just like old Jack.
Read preview >
This was so good I love the era and the references to Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. It has fabulous characters both good and bad. The story kept you wanting to read more. I’m not one for huge relationship storylines but this I loved. Highly recommended if you like murder mystery set in a gothic Victorian era.
Kindle
Breathless (Scarlet Suffragette book 2)
By Nicola Claire
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicola Claire's captivating new Gothic romance series continues with a dark and sinister London City at the end of the nineteenth century - brightened by a fearless and talented heroine and a loyal and secretive police inspector...
Determined doctor? Interfering busybody? Fearless fighter?
The London of Anna Cassidy's memories is not the London she faces today. Having proved her worth as a physician, Dr Cassidy finds herself pitted against the stolid attitude of a male-dominated society.
But it's not only society she has to contend with.
A criminal mastermind has set themselves up in London, England; chosen the dirty streets of Whitechapel and Lambeth as their stage. Competing against a devious and cunning opponent sets Anna and her closest friends off on a dire adventure, which could culminate in a loss so great Anna may never recover again.
Steadfast police inspector? Loyal guardian? Caring lover?
Anna, however, is not alone. Or, at least, she won't be once Inspector Kelly finds her. Facing the ghosts of his past, Andrew Kelly rushes to face Anna's enemies and protect the woman he loves.
But Anna is not unable to defend herself.
Proving she needs him is a task Inspector Kelly would gladly undertake. But the city of Andrew's birth is more in the grip of evil machinations than it has ever been, bringing to mind memories of a dark London, ripped to within an inch of its life by a devil known to most simply as Jack.
Andrew knows otherwise. For his secrets are unravelling and within their shadowed corners lies a murderer, a poisoner, and a villain so deceitful that nothing is what it appears to be.
A gritty, twisted, and authentic Victorian romantic suspense, sure to rip you apart... just like old Jack.
Read preview >
This was so good I love the era and the references to Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes. It has fabulous characters both good and bad. The story kept you wanting to read more. I’m not one for huge relationship storylines but this I loved. Highly recommended if you like murder mystery set in a gothic Victorian era.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Island (Hidden Iceland #2) in Books
Jun 5, 2019
After reading the previous Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir story (The Darkness) of which I really enjoyed, I was pleased to be offered this book to review by Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) via NetGalley. Here’s my review:
In The Island Ragnar brings back CID member Hulda of the Reykjavik police with another case to solve. One surrounding four young adults who have decided to take a weekend away in a remote and deserted part of of Elliðaey island off the Icelandic coast. Strange because they’d not seen each other for ten years, and even stranger still, one is married with kids and it’s odd that she’d just go on a mini-break with old school friends she’d not seen for years when they hadn’t really kept in contact all that time. Stranger still, once they meet up again, there’s a fatal accident and when they wake up one morning a girl’s missing. She’s only gone and fallen off a cliff and killed herself.
Or was she pushed? *Strokes chin in a very Sherlock way*
What is the connection between these four people? And why did they decide to meet up after ten years? I don’t know about you, but I was dying to find out! Okay, maybe not dying, I don’t want the author to put me in one of his stories only to kill me off – but I was keen!
My thoughts? Ragnar has written an intriguing and clever plot where two stories (past and present) fold into one. Running along beside Hulda’s crime solving antics, there’s a chance to discover more about her private life, her dark past, and her wish to find her own father of whom she’s never known.
I thoroughly enjoyed solving this crime with Hulda. I found the bittersweet ending (of which more than one character received) was brilliantly crafted. How an author writes a book with so much detail, I’ll never know but Jónasson is very good at it!
Nordic fiction can be as bleak as the setting, but that’s the beauty of these unforgiving scenes! I love how the isolated island, along with the terrain and the weather, helps to weave suspense and atmosphere into the story, just as much as the characters involved. What an entertaining, and cleverly crafted Nordic Noir! Looking forward to reading The Mist the third of Jónasson’s Hidden Iceland series. It can’t come fast enough!
In The Island Ragnar brings back CID member Hulda of the Reykjavik police with another case to solve. One surrounding four young adults who have decided to take a weekend away in a remote and deserted part of of Elliðaey island off the Icelandic coast. Strange because they’d not seen each other for ten years, and even stranger still, one is married with kids and it’s odd that she’d just go on a mini-break with old school friends she’d not seen for years when they hadn’t really kept in contact all that time. Stranger still, once they meet up again, there’s a fatal accident and when they wake up one morning a girl’s missing. She’s only gone and fallen off a cliff and killed herself.
Or was she pushed? *Strokes chin in a very Sherlock way*
What is the connection between these four people? And why did they decide to meet up after ten years? I don’t know about you, but I was dying to find out! Okay, maybe not dying, I don’t want the author to put me in one of his stories only to kill me off – but I was keen!
My thoughts? Ragnar has written an intriguing and clever plot where two stories (past and present) fold into one. Running along beside Hulda’s crime solving antics, there’s a chance to discover more about her private life, her dark past, and her wish to find her own father of whom she’s never known.
I thoroughly enjoyed solving this crime with Hulda. I found the bittersweet ending (of which more than one character received) was brilliantly crafted. How an author writes a book with so much detail, I’ll never know but Jónasson is very good at it!
Nordic fiction can be as bleak as the setting, but that’s the beauty of these unforgiving scenes! I love how the isolated island, along with the terrain and the weather, helps to weave suspense and atmosphere into the story, just as much as the characters involved. What an entertaining, and cleverly crafted Nordic Noir! Looking forward to reading The Mist the third of Jónasson’s Hidden Iceland series. It can’t come fast enough!