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Overkill 3
Games and Entertainment
App
8 environments with more than 60 battlefields, 4 game modes and over 30 guns to shoot your way...
In Ghostly Japan
Book
Nearly two hundred and fifty years ago, the daughter of a rich merchant of the city of the Shōguns,...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated The Promise in Books
Jun 18, 2019
I Promise, This is an Enjoyable Book
Elvis Cole is hired to track down a woman, and the most promising clue takes him to a house that appears to be empty. When Cole gets no answer, he tries to leave only to be trapped by the police swarming into the neighborhood looking for a suspect on the run. Meanwhile, K-9 officer Scott James and his dog, Maggie, are tracking the suspect to the very house Cole was interested in. Inside, they find a dead body and a room full of explosives. As the two cases intertwine, can the two find a way to work together?
Knowing Scott and Maggie were going to be featured very heavily in this book was what got me reading the Cole and Pike books several years ago, so it was nice to finally get to read this one. I’m happy to say it lived up to the promise of the premise. The book is another great thriller with plenty of things happening to keep us interested. Both sets of characters contribute something to the eventual outcome. I did think there was a plot hole early on in the book, but it was resolved by the time we reach the climax. The characters were a little thin again, although I enjoyed getting to see a bit of a different side to John Stone here. The violence, language, and general depravity is definitely toned down from the previous book, although there is still more than in my typical cozies, which is no surprise. Fans of author Robert Crais or either set of characters will be pleased by this book.
Knowing Scott and Maggie were going to be featured very heavily in this book was what got me reading the Cole and Pike books several years ago, so it was nice to finally get to read this one. I’m happy to say it lived up to the promise of the premise. The book is another great thriller with plenty of things happening to keep us interested. Both sets of characters contribute something to the eventual outcome. I did think there was a plot hole early on in the book, but it was resolved by the time we reach the climax. The characters were a little thin again, although I enjoyed getting to see a bit of a different side to John Stone here. The violence, language, and general depravity is definitely toned down from the previous book, although there is still more than in my typical cozies, which is no surprise. Fans of author Robert Crais or either set of characters will be pleased by this book.
The Deal: Inside the World of a Super Agent
Book
'Excellent ...an in-depth excavation of the murky and mysterious world of football business. Smith's...
TD
The Deal: Inside the World of a Super-Agent
Book
'Excellent ...an in-depth excavation of the murky and mysterious world of football business. Smith's...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated The Library Game in Books
Apr 18, 2025 (Updated Apr 18, 2025)
Murder Strolls into a Library
Tempest Raj and the rest of the team are working on turning a house into a new library in Hidden Creek, this one focused on classic mysteries. While the library isn’t ready to open yet, they are participating in the Summer Stroll program that kicks off in a few days. Their contribution will be an escape room and an interactive mystery play that Tempest wrote with her best friend, Ivy. Naturally, Tempest is there for a dress rehearsal. Unfortunately, it goes horribly wrong with one of the actors turning up dead after a scripted power outage. However, by the time they call the police, the body is gone. Is he really dead? If so, who moved the body?
The case is even more impossible than I was able to work into my teaser, and I had fun watching Tempest lead us to the logical solution. The pacing might have lagged a bit in the middle, but that might be me. It was fantastic to spend time with all the regulars again, and I’m curious where some of the relationships will go from here. The suspects were good, too. We get a delicious sounding recipe for Blackberry Crumble Cobbler and more references to classic mysteries. I really need to find a time to read some of them. This book will work well as an intro/standalone if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series yet. But you’ll want to go back to read them after the fun you’ll have here. Fans will be glad they picked up this book.
The case is even more impossible than I was able to work into my teaser, and I had fun watching Tempest lead us to the logical solution. The pacing might have lagged a bit in the middle, but that might be me. It was fantastic to spend time with all the regulars again, and I’m curious where some of the relationships will go from here. The suspects were good, too. We get a delicious sounding recipe for Blackberry Crumble Cobbler and more references to classic mysteries. I really need to find a time to read some of them. This book will work well as an intro/standalone if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series yet. But you’ll want to go back to read them after the fun you’ll have here. Fans will be glad they picked up this book.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) in Movies
Feb 12, 2021
Give Chadwick the Oscar
Pulitzer Prize winning Playwright August Wilson wrote 10 plays that he labeled his “Century Cycle” - one placed in each decade of the 20th century that depicts the Negro experience in America. Denzel Washington has pledged to produce a film for each one of these plays.
The first film, FENCES (2016), earned Viola Davis an Oscar and was nominated for Best Film. The 2nd film, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM looks to be just as awarded.
Set in a recording studio in Chicago in the 1920’s (the only play of Wilson’s Century Cycle NOT set in Pittsburgh), MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM tells the story of a recording session for Ma Rainey and her band.
Nominated for the Tony for Best Play of 1984, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is the perfect stage play, for it takes place in one room - the recording studio. The problem with turning this into a film is that Director George C. Wolf felt compelled to “open things up” and added scenes, mostly at the beginning of the film, that takes you out of the studio. He also included Ma Rainey in some of these scenes, thus taking away the power of her entrance about 1/3 of the way into the story. These added scenes add nothing to the story and waters down some of the strength that being confined in one place brings.
But, oh, with performances and dialogue like this, those things are quickly forgotten.
Davis, of course, is stellar as Ma Rainey grabbing the spotlight and commanding the room with her presence. Ma Rainey (and Davis) are not to be trifled with and this is a powerhouse performance, so much so that I can forgive the film for having Davis’ voice dubbed for much of her singing performance.
But…Davis performance pales in comparison to the elite level work of Chadwick Boseman in the central role of trumpet player Levee who has some demons to unpack, demons that drive both his artistic and emotional self. This is a difficult character to root for, but Boseman’s charm shines through and mixed with his rage and sadness, makes for a potent combination and an interesting character to watch. Adding to the poignancy of the performance is the knowledge that this as Boseman’s last role before succumbing to cancer.
Colman Domingo (my favorite actor in FEAR THE WALKING DEAD) brings a strong grounding to the preceedings in the role of Cutler while veteran character actor Glynn Turman (who I remember from the 1970’s mini-series CENTENNIAL) is at a career best as another musician, Toledo. Most of the film (and play) consist of Cutler, Toledo and Levee talking, arguing, bantering and pontificating and these 3 are more than up to this challenge.
All of this, of course, would not be possible without the power of the original stage play script by August Wilson. This work was ably adapted to the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination).
A very strong, very interesting tale with some very moving performances makes MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM a worthy Oscar-type film that should be checked out by all.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
The first film, FENCES (2016), earned Viola Davis an Oscar and was nominated for Best Film. The 2nd film, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM looks to be just as awarded.
Set in a recording studio in Chicago in the 1920’s (the only play of Wilson’s Century Cycle NOT set in Pittsburgh), MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM tells the story of a recording session for Ma Rainey and her band.
Nominated for the Tony for Best Play of 1984, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM is the perfect stage play, for it takes place in one room - the recording studio. The problem with turning this into a film is that Director George C. Wolf felt compelled to “open things up” and added scenes, mostly at the beginning of the film, that takes you out of the studio. He also included Ma Rainey in some of these scenes, thus taking away the power of her entrance about 1/3 of the way into the story. These added scenes add nothing to the story and waters down some of the strength that being confined in one place brings.
But, oh, with performances and dialogue like this, those things are quickly forgotten.
Davis, of course, is stellar as Ma Rainey grabbing the spotlight and commanding the room with her presence. Ma Rainey (and Davis) are not to be trifled with and this is a powerhouse performance, so much so that I can forgive the film for having Davis’ voice dubbed for much of her singing performance.
But…Davis performance pales in comparison to the elite level work of Chadwick Boseman in the central role of trumpet player Levee who has some demons to unpack, demons that drive both his artistic and emotional self. This is a difficult character to root for, but Boseman’s charm shines through and mixed with his rage and sadness, makes for a potent combination and an interesting character to watch. Adding to the poignancy of the performance is the knowledge that this as Boseman’s last role before succumbing to cancer.
Colman Domingo (my favorite actor in FEAR THE WALKING DEAD) brings a strong grounding to the preceedings in the role of Cutler while veteran character actor Glynn Turman (who I remember from the 1970’s mini-series CENTENNIAL) is at a career best as another musician, Toledo. Most of the film (and play) consist of Cutler, Toledo and Levee talking, arguing, bantering and pontificating and these 3 are more than up to this challenge.
All of this, of course, would not be possible without the power of the original stage play script by August Wilson. This work was ably adapted to the screen by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination).
A very strong, very interesting tale with some very moving performances makes MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM a worthy Oscar-type film that should be checked out by all.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
Skin Deep: All She Wanted Was a Mummy, but Was She Too Ugly to be Loved?
Book
Rejected by her mother and excluded by her school, Flip is a little girl desperate to be loved. 'Am...
BB
Beachside Bohemian: Easy Living by the Sea
Book
Well known to their fans through their reality TV shows (on HGTV and Bravo) and various home decor...
DI
Dixonary: Illuminations, Revelations and Post-rationalizations from a Chaotic Mind
Book
Dixonary is the first comprehensive book on one of Britain's best known and most highly regarded...