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Charlotte (184 KP) rated Charmed in Books

Oct 26, 2021  
Charmed
Charmed
Cora Hale | 2021 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fans at the ready!!

Crete may be hot but Christos Aetos is a whole lot hotter! (Fans self with one hand and sips an iced drink with the other).
    Christos has had a difficult few years but he's a powerful, resilient and vulnerable man who prioritises his children and his CEO job.....but his head gets turned by a goddess....

Dr. Selena Evans is beautiful, intelligent and a caring mother. She's been dealt a crappy hand (as*hole ex) and is finally doing something for herself. She's rebuilding her confidence and independence with a long overdue vacation.
    Although she has the intention of having fun and a few flings, Selena is totally unprepared for Adonis to walk into her hotel room.

Charmed is smoking hot with a sweet streak, definitely fan worthy! Grab a cold drink and enjoy this sizzling read.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) rated Rope (1948) in Movies

Sep 18, 2019  
Rope (1948)
Rope (1948)
1948 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
80 minutes of magic!
Two men, the charismatic and charming Phillip, and the cowardly and sheepish Brandon have just strangled their mutual friend, David, and are holding him in their arms. To dispose of the body, they decide on the bold move a placing it in a large trunk in the middle of the living room of their high rise apartment building. They don't have much time to discuss their situation before guests start arriving for their dinner party which had been planned beforehand.

After the guests arrive, the usual small talk and chit chat commences with those attending including David fiance and a former college professor of the men. After the idle conversation starts to bore, it is mentioned how interesting it would be to murder someone and the consequences of doing so. It's no dig deal to dispose of people you don't like is it? Some party-goers are not keen on this conversation and lead it in a new direction eventually focusing on the missing David who has not yet arrived.

Eventually, the unresolved issue of David's absence is brushed aside for the moment and the guests leave to go about their lives. The college professor returns after having been given verbal clues in the former conversations about the nefarious activity of Phillip and David as well as some physical ones. He confronts the duo and David is unable to hold back.

The mystery has been revealed and the men have to deal with the fallout and consequences.

The physical limitation of the amount of film cameras of the day were able to hold was the only drawback for the way Hitchcock managed to shoot this film. There are only 10 total shots within the film ranging from 4 to 10 minutes. The cuts were achieved through normal editing, but also the actors and camera intersecting for brief moments where a momentary black frame would occur continuing the action right after this moment.

I can't even imagine the amount of rehearsal and takes would have been necessary for both the actors and production crew to orchestrate visual and vocal cues and not making mistakes for such a long time for each shot to be completed successfully. The film feels much like a stage production having all the scenes occur mainly in the living room and foyer areas, but that had to be by design.

With no elaborate staging, the audience is left to enjoy the masterful screenplay nonstop and trying to figure out if the two murderers will actually be able to dissuade blame or be confronted with the guilt.

One of many Jimmy Stewart's many Hitchcock collaborations, his performance mostly gets overlooked here in comparison to Vertigo and Rear Window; however, once he arrives at the party it is kind to see him and he delivers another captivating and motivated performance.

In the current days of digital filmmaking and continuous camera shots which can now be processed with computers, it is monumental Hitchcock was able to achieve this feat back in the day with only relentless dedication, but also precise and genius execution.

  
The Night Swim: A Novel
The Night Swim: A Novel
Megan Goldin | 2020 | Mystery, Thriller
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Having worked in the criminal court system for years, I was looking forward to The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. The premise that you follow along with a podcast to reach your own verdict of a current and controversial trial sounded intriguing. I found myself angry by the main character's obvious slant on her podcast. If her role was to present an unbiased reporting of the events in court, she failed at her job. Her reporting of the case proceedings and the investigation taken are accurate, detailed, and complete. Goldin successfully captures the emotions involved in sensitive cases such as the one podcaster Rachel Krall covers for the third season of her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty.

Goldin's story of the trial, the people involved, and the overlapping, interconnected tale from the past are woven into a clever novel narrated by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. All three narrators are accomplished voice actors. LaVoy narrated books by Patterson, Deaver, Grisham, and Goldin's New York Times Bestseller, The Escape Room.

The narrators' voices matched the story well, but the speed in which they spoke was too slow for me, and I listened to the story at a faster rate.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/3/20.
  
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Smithie (7 KP) rated Lord Of Shadows in Books

Aug 9, 2017  
Lord Of Shadows
Lord Of Shadows
Cassandra Clare | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.3 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Shadowhunters being awesome (7 more)
It gave other characters (not just Jules and Emma) a lot of focus
Really great diversity!!! So many LGBT+ in one room!!! I cry I cry :')
Kit Herondale
Cristina Rosales
Tiberius Blackthorn
Drusilla Blackthorn
A character died at the end that I've been wanting to die for literally six years
THAT ENDING WAS NOT OKAY (1 more)
A couple things were frustrating. The Clave sucks. People suck. This isn't the author's fault and it's a good thing that she was able to create situations that struck cords with things happening in the real world, but it just made me mad at the world
Sucked all emotion and life out of me thanks cassie I'm now a shell of my former self
It was so good!!! Some may disagree but each book that Cassie publishes just increases in quality. I can't wait for book 3 and I can't CAN'T wait fOR THE WICKED POWERS LIKE YES LET'S FOCUS ON THREE OF MY ALL TIME FAVES I'M SO READY
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Passenger (Professione: reporter) (1975) in Movies

Apr 14, 2019 (Updated Apr 14, 2019)  
The Passenger (Professione: reporter) (1975)
The Passenger (Professione: reporter) (1975)
1975 | Drama, International
7
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Existential meditation on identity and purpose from Michelangelo Antonionioni. Jaded journalist (Nicholson) finds the man in the next hotel room has died and decides to switch identities with him and make a fresh start (they are in a remote part of Africa and he is a close lookalike, which makes this somewhat plausible). He soon discovers the man whose life he has stolen had secrets of his own, and finds himself hunted by people in search of both his identities.

A film about the desire to be reborn and also to destroy oneself. Or, possibly, just about Jack Nicholson having a somewhat premature mid-life crisis, walking out on his old life and acquiring a rather younger girlfriend (Schneider). Either way, Nicholson is on startlingly restrained and effective form (this was made back when he was a serious leading man), and there are some technically brilliant moments scattered throughout the film. It is always enjoyable to watch, even if it does seem sometimes that it is rather less profound and meaningful than the director thinks it is.