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Frank & Lola (2016)
Frank & Lola (2016)
2016 | Mystery
3
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Frank is a brilliant chef that has started dating the younger Lola, he gets jealous easily which makes him want to know who every man in Lola’s life is as he starts to look to solve her problems. Lola is a college graduate in fashion that is in Vegas, she is dating Frank and starts working for the charismatic Keith, she knows what will make Frank jealous as she starts to use him to get what she wants. Keith knows people in Vegas, he offers jobs to talent, which will see him follow a strict code of not trying to date them, he will always offer people job if he believes they deserve the change. Patricia is Lola’s mother that hasn’t always been as close with her daughter.

Performances – We have such a great cast here, Michael Shannon gives one of his most average performances of his career, Imogen Poots struggles to make an impact, Justin Long gets his moments, but not enough. Most of this comes from such dull characters they must try to bring to life.

Story – The story is the hardest part to describe because it seems to follow a chef that is trying to do anything to clean up his girlfriends past, only to get caught up in the middle of just what might be true or not. The problem with the story comes from the poor dialogue which makes it hard to connect the story together, it seems to create scenes which put Frank’s mind in one direction only for the next one to change it, this happens too often and becomes annoying because we can’t get invested in his story. we did get some heavy themes which do just get glanced over which only confuses in the end.

Crime/Romance – The crime side of the film comes from what Frank will do for Lola, he is driven by his love for her which shows him where to go with his actions.

Settings – The film has two main settings, Las Vegas and Paris, both are used to show the busy side of the lives of the people we are follow.


Scene of the Movie – Job offer.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The story is too heavy on changing direction too often.

Final Thoughts – This is a dull romantic thriller that just drags along at a snails pace, never using the talent to its strengths.

 

Overall: Bitterly disappointing.
  
Career of Evil
Career of Evil
Robert Galbraith | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.3 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book of the Cormoran Strike series by JK Rowling, writing under the name Robert Galbraith. I jumped at the chance to review this story, as I enjoyed the other two so much. The second one left me with a slight surprise at the end, I was eager to continue the adventure. It surpassed my hopes, and I believe that so far, this is the best in the series. Galbraith seems to really be getting the hang of this crime novel thing. :-)

One of the great things I love about the series is the distinct way Galbraith slowly reveals the story, one bit at a time, one interview at a time, one little mistake the bad guy made at a time. And then Strike gets it, but you still don’t, so you’re sitting there like “What? What did I miss, what did he realize? what is it? WHAT IS IT!?” and it drives you crazy until Strike outlines it for you. I love that.

The relationship between Strike and Robin continues to grow, and the engagement between Robin and Matthew continues to deteriorate. More true emotions and motives are revealed, and some of Robins mysterious past is disclosed.

The audio book was narrated by Robert Glenister. He was excellent as always. He has the best voices and accents and

Just as the second novel, this one also ends in a way that demands the next book to hurry up and be published. I’m really excited about the growth of this series and I can’t wait for the next one!
  
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
And so, this is the one you are probably most familiar with, even if you have never watched a True Crime Doc before. Essentially a 7 part mini series with a making of extra program tagged on at the end that definitely does not need to be watched. Does any of it? It certainly showcases the nuttier side of America and some of the more eccentric characters that exist, not Least the compelling car crash human that is Joe Exotic – at times likeable, often very unlikable and almost certainly criminally insane. But it isn’t really about murder. The title is misleading in that sense. Mayhem and madness, oh for sure, but the murder part is an almost incidental detail of the show, as if to give it more gravitas.

It focuses on rivalries that existed between exotic animal parks that seem to take pride in mistreating tigers and other wild animals that have no place being there at all. The “fun” of it is watching “crazy” people, mostly Joe rolling around as if they were tiny kittens, and holding your breathe waiting for the inevitable moment they rip him to shreds. As it turns out, there is so much filler and false promise in this show that I would have to put it at the bottom of the list. It may not even have got on there at all if it wasn’t for the fact Lockdown viewing made it a shared experience that became ubiquitous. Otherwise, it is a poor circus freak show, badly presented and entirely cheap.
  
Murder at the Fortune Teller’s Table
Murder at the Fortune Teller’s Table
Janet Finsilver | 2017 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mystery From the Past; Murder in the Present
When Summer approaches Kelly and the Senior Sentinels asking them for a favor, they are only too willing to agree. Her request seems rather daunting, find two people she hasn’t seen in fifty years. Yet the group of crime solving enthusiasts are able to do so rather quickly. However, before Summer can follow up with the people who wanted found with her real request, she turns up dead. The police view it as a tragic accident, but Kelly thinks something else is going on. Can she figure out what is really happening?

Since it has been a while since I read the previous book in the series, it took me a bit to remember who all the characters are, but it wasn’t too long before I was back up to speed. The series regulars are a charming bunch, and this is especially true for the group of senior citizens that help Kelly figure out what is going on around town. The mystery is great with some creative scenes and strong characters that kept me guessing. Being from Northern California originally, I love the setting, and the talk of food made me drool as I read. I do think the internal timeline of the book is off, mainly because the characters seem younger than they’d have to be, but I didn’t even think about that until I’d finished the book. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am anxious to return to the series soon.