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Love and Monsters (2021)
Love and Monsters (2021)
2021 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
8
7.8 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Man, I was expecting some good old fashioned silly nonsense out of this, but it turned out to be a whole buttload of fun, and stupidly wholesome.
Dylan O'Brien plays a perfect down-on-his-luck, sort of loser who everyone can relate to, and makes for a hugely likable lead. The story of Joel and his dog, Boy, wondering a post apocalyptic, monster-infested America is an engaging one, full of decent set pieces, great CG work, and colourful characters. It almost feels like a family friendly version of The Last of Us, which is absolutely fine with me whilst we wait for the HBO series to land. It's certainly the closest thing we have to a Fallout movie. The pacing is spot on, with plenty of funny moments (and a sharp script), a good dose of heartwarming inner turmoil, and well placed moments of peril, ensuring that proceedings never become boring.

Love and Monsters is a blast. I have everything crossed that it will get a sequel!
  
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Suswatibasu (1702 KP) rated The Sinner - Season 1 in TV

Nov 24, 2017 (Updated Nov 25, 2017)  
The Sinner - Season 1
The Sinner - Season 1
2017 | Crime
Not as good as expected
I finished watching this series a couple of weeks ago and to be honest I have mixed feelings about it. It surrounds the story of an average housewife, played by Jessica Biel, who one day mysteriously snaps while on the beach with her husband and young son, and ends up stabbing a man to death. While investigating the case, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) becomes increasingly obsessed with finding out why exactly she carried out such an unprovoked attack, probing further into her psyche and revealing very dark and tormented secrets.

The premise is engaging, and the first few episodes quickly begin uncovering bits of her past. But by the fourth episode, there seems to be a lull, as if the director may have exposed too much in the first three chapters, and it begins to dip in terms of interesting content.

By the end, it is explosive, with very little build-up - and to be fair it may have gone slightly too far, appearing hyperbolic to the extreme. The problem was that when it became unappealing in the middle of the series, it was difficult to stay completely captivated until the end. Pullman's character was quite lecherous, as if the only reason he cared was because he found Biel's docile persona attractive.

Would I watch it again? Probably not - there are far better psychological crime shows such @True Detective - Season 1, that seem more carefully and thoughtfully produced.
  
Murder Most Sweet
Murder Most Sweet
Laura Jensen Walker | 2020 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sweet and Light, but Could be Stronger
After surviving breast cancer five years ago, Teddie St. John starting writing culinary cozies, combining her love and baking and mysteries. She’s moderately successful, and looking forward to meeting the highly successful Tavish Bentley when he comes to her small Wisconsin town for a book signing. However, the event ends early when Teddie finds Tavish’s fiancée dead in the ally next to the bookstore. The murder weapon was one of Teddie’s scarfs. Teddie needs to clear her name, but can she do it?

Since I love both culinary and booked themed cozies, I was looking forward to digging into this debut. Unfortunately, I found the mystery to be weak. It started well, but it wasn’t strong enough overall. On the other hand, Teddie does lead a cast of fun characters that I enjoyed meeting. I did find Teddie’s mother a bit much, but hopefully that relationship will grow as the series goes on. The suspects are just as strong and memorable as the main characters. As a man, I was a bit uncomfortable with some of the talk about Teddie’s breast cancer, but I am sure most people who pick up the book will be fine with that. If the book leaves you craving some Wisconsin sweets, you’ll be thrilled to find the six recipes at the back of the book. Hopefully, the mysteries will grow as the series progresses.