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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Night's Edge in Books

Feb 15, 2019  
NE
Night's Edge
Maggie Shayne | 2009
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I just finished Maggie Shayne's short story, Her Best Enemy, and enjoyed it a lot. Yes, the plot is rushed and I didn't believe they could love each other that soon at the end, but it was a really fun story! I would have liked it better if Ms. Shayne had left them just starting out in their promising relationship and not dropping the L-bomb at the end - it felt too forced and cheesy. But as I said before, it was very fun, and an easy and fast read too! :)
4/5 stars

Someone Else's Shadow was another very good story. I really liked Maddie, and while the love angle was again very fast, but at the end I appreciated that the author addresses how fast they fell in love. As with the first story, the ghost angle was creepy and made the whole atmosphere of the story come alive. The chemistry between Maddie and Phil was palpable and it did make me feel like they could in fact fall in love that fast. A great short story!
4.5/5 stars

Dancers in the Dark was another good tale in this anthology. Rue was a likable protagonist who had a horrible past, and while Sean could have been brought to life (ha!) more, he was still a good hero for her. The plot was well-done and I never got annoyed at Rue for feeling sorry for herself or anything, which can happen in stories similar to this. All-in-all it was a fascinating tale.
4/5 stars
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Little Dog (A Red Grouse Tale) in Books

Nov 20, 2019  
The Little Dog (A Red Grouse Tale)
The Little Dog (A Red Grouse Tale)
Leslie W.P. Garland | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Thriller
9
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first of The Red Grouse Tales follows a working week for Bill, a forester who has drawn the short straw of being partnered with Blackman, an unpopular co worker. On the way to their remote work site on the first day they encounter a small white dog sitting at the side of the road. Bill is curious why it is sitting miles from anywhere. Blackman shows a complete disinterest, if not active dislike. As the week wears on Bill comes to ponder on who Blackman is and why he behaves like he does. The final day is one he will never forget.

The tense nervousness Bill feels working with Blackman through the week permeates the page, the writing creating an energy from the silence between the two men and the attempts by Bill to keep away from Blackman as much as he can. As Bill's thoughts turn to the nature of what makes people do bad or evil things the presence of his co-worker becomes almost unbearable. Neither Bill nor the reader can wait for the week to end. The final events of the week make Bill question not only good and evil but if such deeds can provoke divine retribution.

As with the other Red Grouse tales, there is a subtle paranormal thread running through the story, and a great deal of philosophy too. It works almost perfectly as a short story, with its limited week duration and building sense of suspense and drama.

An excellent introduction to the Red Grouse stories, setting up the series quite neatly
  
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) in Movies

Jan 10, 2019 (Updated Jan 10, 2019)  
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
2018 | Comedy, Drama, Western
8
7.1 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
A winning anthology
I am NOT a Coen Brothers apologist. For every good/great film that they have made (like FARGO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or underrated THE HUDSUCKER PROXY) there are duds/movies that didn't work for me (like O' BROTHER WHER ART THOU, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS and the movie I ranked as the worst film of 2016, HAIL, CAESAR). So when I heard that the latest Coen Brothers flick was going straight to Netflix AND (like HAIL, CAESAR), it was a film anthology of 6 short stories, I dragged my feet in checking this out.

But...I am glad I finally got around to it...for THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS is a strong film, taking on a heavy subject (death) in a variety of ways - light-hearted, poignant and deadly (pun intended) serious. The tone of this film - or, more accurately, these 6 short films - worked for me and I felt they wove together very well to tell an overarching story of man's relationship with death - as seen through the eyes of Wild, Wild West characters.

And what characters they are! From Tim Blake Nelson's titular character, Buster Scruggs, to James Franco's hapless (but lucky) Outlaw to Liam Neeson's traveling theatrical show to Tom Waite's grizzled prospector to Zoe Kazan's lonesome Prairie Widow to the group of passengers on the Stagecoach in the last vignette, all are interesting to watch, and listen to.

Credit, of course, needs to go to Joel and Ethan Cohen. These characters are interesting to watch, because these two put wonderful scenes and scenery up on the screen with dialogue (or lack of dialogue) that perfectly reflects what is going on and what the characters are feeling. In my opinion, the Coen Brothers are at their best when they focus on gritty subjects with poignancy (BARTON FINK) but fail when they try to get "wacky" or "over-serious" (BURN AFTER READING, A SERIOUS MAN), this film is full of the former and has very little of the latter.

I'm sure, like all Coen Brothers films, that this anthology of short films is not for everyone - and not every film will work for everyone - but they did for me. I thought each short film was the better than the one before it. I caught the vibe of what the Coen's were after and I fell under their spell.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars out of 10 and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)