Search
Search results
Irish Milkshake Murder
Carlene O'Connor, Liz Ireland and Peggy Ehrhart
9.0
Rate It
Book
Raise a glass for St. Paddy’s Day but keep a shamrock handy because some of these minty milkshakes...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Fright Night (1985) in Movies
Oct 30, 2020
You Can't Murder a Vampire
Fright Night- is a excellent vampire movie. Directed by Tom Holland. It has comedy, horror, lots of gory and Peter Vincent.
The plot: Teenage Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a horror-film junkie, so it's no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It's also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall).
While writing the script for Cloak & Dagger, Tom Holland amused himself when he conceived the idea of a horror-movie fan becoming convinced that his next-door neighbor was a vampire, but he did not initially think this premise was enough to sustain a story. "What's he gonna do", Holland asked, "because everybody's gonna think he's mad!"
The Peter Vincent character was named after horror icons Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, and Holland specifically wrote the part for Price, but at this point in his career, Price had been so badly typecast that he had stopped accepting roles in horror movies.
Holland and McDowall built a lasting friendship, and McDowall eventually invited Holland to a dinner party where he introduced him to Vincent Price, who was flattered that the part was an homage to him and commented that the film "was wonderful and he thought Roddy did a wonderful job."
Once his cast was in place, Holland got input from each of the actors and made numerous revisions to the script. Some were slight and others were major – such as the ending, which originally featured Peter Vincent transforming into a vampire as he returned to host Fright Night.
The cast could only wear them for a maximum of 20 minutes because they were virtually blind in them, and they were thick and painful, and dried out their eyes. A set was made for Stark to wear when he was in his final pursuit of Peter and Charley, but he kept tripping on the stairs. Holland told him to take one out, and he was then able to perform the scene.
Three sets were made for Amanda Bearse, but one of them caused her agonizing pain, which she initially tried to endure. When it finally became too much to bear, she took the contacts out and the crew realized they had forgotten to buff them. For the scene in Mrs. Brewster's bedroom, Geoffreys kept his contacts in for nearly 40 minutes, resulting in scratches on his eyeballs for months afterward.
For the transformation sequences, up to 8 hours were needed to prepare Sarandon's makeup.
The makeup for Evil Ed's wolf transformation took 18 hours.
On Christmas Eve, during the shooting of a scene where he is running down a staircase, Ragsdale accidentally tripped and broke his ankle, resulting in the film being temporarily put on a hold until he could recover. "
Many scenes were shot with his foot in a cast, including the scene in which Jerry comes to Charley's room to attack him. For shots in which Charley's feet were visible, the costumers slit Ragsdale's shoes in several places, slipped them on and then covered the portions of white cast that peeked through the slits with black cloth. For the scene in which Jerry is carrying Charley by the throat with one hand, Sarandon was simultaneously pushing Ragsdale along on a furniture dolly.
The shot of Jerry pulling the pencil out of his hand was achieved by having a spring-loaded, collapsible pencil glued to his palm and an eraser-tip loosely attached to the back of his hand. When he turns his hand and pulls the spring-loaded piece from his palm, out of shot a |monofilament wire jerked away the tip, so when he turns it back, it appears as though he hss pulled it straight through his hand.
Filming of the sequence with the bat was difficult for effects veteran Randall Cook, who kept winding up on film while puppeteering the creature.
Its a excellent movie.
The plot: Teenage Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a horror-film junkie, so it's no surprise that, when a reclusive new neighbor named Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) moves next-door, Brewster becomes convinced he is a vampire. It's also no surprise when nobody believes him. However, after strange events begin to occur, Charlie has no choice but to turn to the only person who could possibly help: washed-up television vampire killer Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall).
While writing the script for Cloak & Dagger, Tom Holland amused himself when he conceived the idea of a horror-movie fan becoming convinced that his next-door neighbor was a vampire, but he did not initially think this premise was enough to sustain a story. "What's he gonna do", Holland asked, "because everybody's gonna think he's mad!"
The Peter Vincent character was named after horror icons Peter Cushing and Vincent Price, and Holland specifically wrote the part for Price, but at this point in his career, Price had been so badly typecast that he had stopped accepting roles in horror movies.
Holland and McDowall built a lasting friendship, and McDowall eventually invited Holland to a dinner party where he introduced him to Vincent Price, who was flattered that the part was an homage to him and commented that the film "was wonderful and he thought Roddy did a wonderful job."
Once his cast was in place, Holland got input from each of the actors and made numerous revisions to the script. Some were slight and others were major – such as the ending, which originally featured Peter Vincent transforming into a vampire as he returned to host Fright Night.
The cast could only wear them for a maximum of 20 minutes because they were virtually blind in them, and they were thick and painful, and dried out their eyes. A set was made for Stark to wear when he was in his final pursuit of Peter and Charley, but he kept tripping on the stairs. Holland told him to take one out, and he was then able to perform the scene.
Three sets were made for Amanda Bearse, but one of them caused her agonizing pain, which she initially tried to endure. When it finally became too much to bear, she took the contacts out and the crew realized they had forgotten to buff them. For the scene in Mrs. Brewster's bedroom, Geoffreys kept his contacts in for nearly 40 minutes, resulting in scratches on his eyeballs for months afterward.
For the transformation sequences, up to 8 hours were needed to prepare Sarandon's makeup.
The makeup for Evil Ed's wolf transformation took 18 hours.
On Christmas Eve, during the shooting of a scene where he is running down a staircase, Ragsdale accidentally tripped and broke his ankle, resulting in the film being temporarily put on a hold until he could recover. "
Many scenes were shot with his foot in a cast, including the scene in which Jerry comes to Charley's room to attack him. For shots in which Charley's feet were visible, the costumers slit Ragsdale's shoes in several places, slipped them on and then covered the portions of white cast that peeked through the slits with black cloth. For the scene in which Jerry is carrying Charley by the throat with one hand, Sarandon was simultaneously pushing Ragsdale along on a furniture dolly.
The shot of Jerry pulling the pencil out of his hand was achieved by having a spring-loaded, collapsible pencil glued to his palm and an eraser-tip loosely attached to the back of his hand. When he turns his hand and pulls the spring-loaded piece from his palm, out of shot a |monofilament wire jerked away the tip, so when he turns it back, it appears as though he hss pulled it straight through his hand.
Filming of the sequence with the bat was difficult for effects veteran Randall Cook, who kept winding up on film while puppeteering the creature.
Its a excellent movie.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Now You See Her in Books
May 10, 2018
Nina Bloom is a successful attorney in New York City. She has a beautiful daughter who has just turned 17 and is the most important thing in her life. But Nina has a past that no one knows about. Both of her parents are dead and she was an only child. During her senior year in college, she took a trip to Key West for Spring Break that changed her life forever. Now with a new case being presented to her, she has to face the demons from her past. Will she be able to get through this case and come out on the other end alive? Will she still be able to protect her daughter from the dangers that she has been hiding for so long?
James Patterson has long been one of my favorite authors. I love how quickly I can get through his books and how enthralling the story usually is. I plan on listening to all of JP's standalone books through audio this year. I've gotten caught up with all the Women's Murder Club books and hope to continue to stay on top of those.
What really struck me about this book was Nina's ability to keep the secret for so long. For 17 years no one knew about her past or that she was even hiding in the first place. Her firm decides to take on some pro bono work with other firms in the city in a effort to exonerate people on death row. The first case she is assigned is quite personal as she is quite sure that the person who is in jail for the crime should not be. I wondered the whole time if she would be able to get through the case without having to reveal her true identity or if the past she left behind was going to come back and haunt her and her daughter forever. I great listen for this James Patterson book.
Up next, [bc:Sundays at Tiffany's|2029177|Sundays at Tiffany's|James Patterson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266475617s/2029177.jpg|3307932]
James Patterson has long been one of my favorite authors. I love how quickly I can get through his books and how enthralling the story usually is. I plan on listening to all of JP's standalone books through audio this year. I've gotten caught up with all the Women's Murder Club books and hope to continue to stay on top of those.
What really struck me about this book was Nina's ability to keep the secret for so long. For 17 years no one knew about her past or that she was even hiding in the first place. Her firm decides to take on some pro bono work with other firms in the city in a effort to exonerate people on death row. The first case she is assigned is quite personal as she is quite sure that the person who is in jail for the crime should not be. I wondered the whole time if she would be able to get through the case without having to reveal her true identity or if the past she left behind was going to come back and haunt her and her daughter forever. I great listen for this James Patterson book.
Up next, [bc:Sundays at Tiffany's|2029177|Sundays at Tiffany's|James Patterson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266475617s/2029177.jpg|3307932]
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Burning House in Books
May 22, 2019
It was a victimless crime...
Estate Agent Clara is struggling to make a sale. With her abusive ex-husband on the brink of finding where she's hiding, she needs to make a commission soon or lose her chance to escape.
Boleskine House on the shores of Loch Ness has remained unsold for years, and Clara is sure that an 'innocent' fire will force the price down. But the perfect crime soon turns into the perfect nightmare: there was a witness, a stranger in the village, and he's not going to let Clara get away with it that easily...
This is a very creepy read indeed, which features old secrets, black magic and also a story line which deals with domestic violence, and stalking, set very much in the real world. This combination of crimes we can understand, and empathize with, alongside the supernatural, works very well.
I didn't realize until the end that he had taken the story of the real Boleskin House and weaved the story around it. Boleskin sounds an absolutely fascinating place, owned by Alistair Crowley and Jimmy Page and reputedly incredibly haunted and the site of some odd rituals and occurrences. Spring explains in a footnote that a mysterious fire did really happen, do unfortunately you can't exactly visit the real place.
It is hard to write too much about this novel, without giving away the plot and I have no wish to do that.
This was a tense and chilling read that was!! From the start you are thrown into quite a chain of shocking events and the consequences of these are felt throughout the book, and leads to some very dark places for some of the characters!
Great plot that will grip you and not let you go at all. The characters were well written and some are very unsavory and that adds to the dark story line. The action never seems to let up and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.
Definitely a superb psychological thriller with a twist and I thought it was brilliant.
Highly recommend reading!!!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Estate Agent Clara is struggling to make a sale. With her abusive ex-husband on the brink of finding where she's hiding, she needs to make a commission soon or lose her chance to escape.
Boleskine House on the shores of Loch Ness has remained unsold for years, and Clara is sure that an 'innocent' fire will force the price down. But the perfect crime soon turns into the perfect nightmare: there was a witness, a stranger in the village, and he's not going to let Clara get away with it that easily...
This is a very creepy read indeed, which features old secrets, black magic and also a story line which deals with domestic violence, and stalking, set very much in the real world. This combination of crimes we can understand, and empathize with, alongside the supernatural, works very well.
I didn't realize until the end that he had taken the story of the real Boleskin House and weaved the story around it. Boleskin sounds an absolutely fascinating place, owned by Alistair Crowley and Jimmy Page and reputedly incredibly haunted and the site of some odd rituals and occurrences. Spring explains in a footnote that a mysterious fire did really happen, do unfortunately you can't exactly visit the real place.
It is hard to write too much about this novel, without giving away the plot and I have no wish to do that.
This was a tense and chilling read that was!! From the start you are thrown into quite a chain of shocking events and the consequences of these are felt throughout the book, and leads to some very dark places for some of the characters!
Great plot that will grip you and not let you go at all. The characters were well written and some are very unsavory and that adds to the dark story line. The action never seems to let up and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.
Definitely a superb psychological thriller with a twist and I thought it was brilliant.
Highly recommend reading!!!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Downtown Desperadoes in Books
Jan 19, 2020
Returning to NYC to Help a Friend
It all starts with a phone call. Ricky Kidd is confused by the strange message, and he is certain it is a prank, expect for the fact that the voice sounds familiar. It’s a couple of hours later when he recognizes it as Brother Phillip, the man who had helped him track down his younger brother when Joel was kidnapped during the class trip to New York City back in the spring. When his father tries to find out what is happening with Brother Phillip, he discovers the mission the man run has burned down, and the police believe that Brother Phillip died in the fire. The only problem is, the fire took place before the phone call. Ricky is able to convince his family and friends, Ralphy and Mike, to change their Thanksgiving plans and go to the city, but when they arrive, things only get weirder. Did they really know Brother Phillip? Is he in danger? Or is he a criminal?
Unlike many middle grade mysteries, this one is a direct sequel to an earlier book. To completely understand the events that happen here, it is best to have already read LOST BENEATH MANHATTAN. But if you haven’t read that one yet, there is enough context here to follow the events as they unfold. And what a plot! While I remembered a few key things, like the climax, I was still caught up in the twists and turns. This book is a master class is dropping clues into a story, and I still marvel at how Mr. Brouwer does it. The characters are developed enough to make us care, but they are a bit on the thin side. The adult in me notices that, but as I’m reading I don’t care. The book was originally written for the Christian market, but the Christian elements aren’t overwhelming here. These stories were originally released in the 1990’s, so a few references are dated, but it isn’t enough to ruin the story in the slightest. This book is still as strong now as when I first read it. Readers of all ages will be thrilled they picked it up.
Unlike many middle grade mysteries, this one is a direct sequel to an earlier book. To completely understand the events that happen here, it is best to have already read LOST BENEATH MANHATTAN. But if you haven’t read that one yet, there is enough context here to follow the events as they unfold. And what a plot! While I remembered a few key things, like the climax, I was still caught up in the twists and turns. This book is a master class is dropping clues into a story, and I still marvel at how Mr. Brouwer does it. The characters are developed enough to make us care, but they are a bit on the thin side. The adult in me notices that, but as I’m reading I don’t care. The book was originally written for the Christian market, but the Christian elements aren’t overwhelming here. These stories were originally released in the 1990’s, so a few references are dated, but it isn’t enough to ruin the story in the slightest. This book is still as strong now as when I first read it. Readers of all ages will be thrilled they picked it up.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Tempest (Tempest, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Original Review posted on <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-tempest-by-julie-cross.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste.
I really hope I'm not the only one when I say that I read Tempest so fast, my head must have been spinning after I finished. Eh, 3 days probably isn't that fast, but compared to my usual pace, it is. I may have read it fast because I was dying of boredom during Spring Break. Or beginning to.
The main character, Jackson Meyer, jumps so much from time to time throughout the book that it would've been really hard to keep track where and when he's at without the date and time in the beginning of almost every chapter. In fact, I would have been so confused and lost, I might assume I landed in of Wonderland or stuck in the middle of a tornado (Kansas style), about to land in the world of Oz (though I won't know that until I actually land in Oz).
I can't really tell who the villain really is. Julie Cross makes it seem that there are 5 possible villains, with a handful of those that seem to be leaning toward the not-a-villain-at-all side.I didn't really want to finish the last few pages of Tempest at night, but eventually decided to just get it over with (after all, why save 2-3 pages for the next day when you can finish it in less than 30 minutes?).
Wrong choice on my part, even though it was likely the right choice for the main character to do in the end. But I was honestly not prepared for it to be extremely sad.
I'm not exactly sure what to make of Tempest. I generally enjoy time travel books because they're are each unique in their own way, with their own time travel rules. I'm not exactly sure how Tempest is going to work on the big screen but it'll be interesting to see how it works if it actually does get to the big screen.
Note: Formatting may be lost due to copy and paste.
I really hope I'm not the only one when I say that I read Tempest so fast, my head must have been spinning after I finished. Eh, 3 days probably isn't that fast, but compared to my usual pace, it is. I may have read it fast because I was dying of boredom during Spring Break. Or beginning to.
The main character, Jackson Meyer, jumps so much from time to time throughout the book that it would've been really hard to keep track where and when he's at without the date and time in the beginning of almost every chapter. In fact, I would have been so confused and lost, I might assume I landed in of Wonderland or stuck in the middle of a tornado (Kansas style), about to land in the world of Oz (though I won't know that until I actually land in Oz).
I can't really tell who the villain really is. Julie Cross makes it seem that there are 5 possible villains, with a handful of those that seem to be leaning toward the not-a-villain-at-all side.I didn't really want to finish the last few pages of Tempest at night, but eventually decided to just get it over with (after all, why save 2-3 pages for the next day when you can finish it in less than 30 minutes?).
Wrong choice on my part, even though it was likely the right choice for the main character to do in the end. But I was honestly not prepared for it to be extremely sad.
I'm not exactly sure what to make of Tempest. I generally enjoy time travel books because they're are each unique in their own way, with their own time travel rules. I'm not exactly sure how Tempest is going to work on the big screen but it'll be interesting to see how it works if it actually does get to the big screen.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Murder on Bank Street in Books
Jan 12, 2020
Solving the Murder of Dr. Tom Brandt
In the spring of 1897, New York City Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy has been given permission by NYPD Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to focus solely on solving Dr. Tom Brandt’s murder. However, since people are expecting Teddy Roosevelt to be called to Washington to serve in the new administration at any moment, Malloy knows he must act quickly to solve the case. He has three good suspects and a description of the murder weapon, but he is facing the fact that Tom died over four years ago. He can’t establish alibis, and the killer might have gotten rid of the weapon over the years. He’ll only have one shot at confronting the suspects as well since his best weapon is the element of surprise. Can he gather enough evidence to get the killer to confess? Will Sarah Brandt, Tom’s widow and Frank’s friend, be happy with what Frank learns along the way?
Dr. Brandt’s murder has been an ongoing storyline since the first book, so I was happy to finally see it solved. Ironically, Sarah doesn’t play an active part in solving it, but she is still an active part of the book as she reacts to what Frank is learning and her scenes are just as compelling. We get to see a different side of several characters, including Frank’s new sleuthing partner, but Sarah gets the most development, which only makes sense. We have three viewpoint characters over the course of the book, but the changes are always easy to follow. The plot is strong and kept me confused until we reached the satisfying ending. It did seem a bit repetitive early on, but that was a minor issue overall. If you are new to the series, you could jump in here without missing too much since everything you need to know is explained. As always, I felt like I was in 1897 with the little details and character’s attitudes acting like a time machine. I’m curious to see how the series will progress without this storyline an active part of things, but I am satisfied with how this storyline was wrapped up.
Dr. Brandt’s murder has been an ongoing storyline since the first book, so I was happy to finally see it solved. Ironically, Sarah doesn’t play an active part in solving it, but she is still an active part of the book as she reacts to what Frank is learning and her scenes are just as compelling. We get to see a different side of several characters, including Frank’s new sleuthing partner, but Sarah gets the most development, which only makes sense. We have three viewpoint characters over the course of the book, but the changes are always easy to follow. The plot is strong and kept me confused until we reached the satisfying ending. It did seem a bit repetitive early on, but that was a minor issue overall. If you are new to the series, you could jump in here without missing too much since everything you need to know is explained. As always, I felt like I was in 1897 with the little details and character’s attitudes acting like a time machine. I’m curious to see how the series will progress without this storyline an active part of things, but I am satisfied with how this storyline was wrapped up.
BabyApps: ALL-IN-1
Education and Entertainment
App
❃ Get ALL 5 BabyApps for $1.99 ❃ - Flashcards - Dial-a-Phone - Color Piano - Letter Board -...
Zando Online Fashion Shopping - Shoes & Apparel
Shopping and Lifestyle
App
**Winners of Best Mobile Shopping Experience & Best Overall Shopping Experience at the Tech &...
Sabbath School Quarterly App
Education and Reference
App
This is the most feature packed Sabbath School quarterly on the market. Use it to enhance your...