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Escape Room (2019)
Escape Room (2019)
2019 | Action, Horror, Thriller
Get me out of here
#escaperoom is a #saw movie without the gore & while it maybe better than the last 6 movies in that series its by no means a rewarding #escape. I can't tell you i hated this film because there are elements & sections i did find tense/entertaining however its a long way off being a GOOD film. Right off the bat the direction annoyed me, its all over the place & was clearly trying to create tension from moving/cutting & it just didnt work for me at all feelong like a #90s #music video. Camera work also feels cheap as does the cgi so much so that immersion is #pretty much not possible. Acting is bad with no realistic emotion or reaction from most characters but at least its not as bad as the terrible dialog which felt exhausting & repetitive. #loganmiller & #tylerlabine were standouts & actually saved the movie for me with some good acting here & there as well as being the most interesting characters too. So why a 5? the movie entertained me & there was one escape room (set in an upside down bar) that managed to be not only quite creative but a lot of fun & fairly tense too with cool camera angles & nice set design. Deaths were tame for a 15 & the plot is your standard predictable twaddle with what seemed to be an abudence of #overkill endings trying to shock with twist after non effective twist. Teens will no doubt get a huge kick out of this film as its based on the latest #craze but i #feel everyone else will be like me wishing this genre would do something #fresh now. Its not a bad film its just an ok & lacking one just like a #haunted house you've visited already it passes the time. #odeon #odeonlimitless #horror #jigsaw #trap #filmbuff #filmcritic #gore #fridayfeeling #teen #silly #game #escaperoommovie #puzzle #fire #lit #scary
  
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ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Ghost of Hollow House in Books

Jun 9, 2019 (Updated Jun 9, 2019)  
The Ghost of Hollow House
The Ghost of Hollow House
Linda Stratmann | 2019 | Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Victorian ghostly mystery.
This is a mystery set in Victorian England (1872), a time when women were the weaker sex and unable to tolerate anything vaguely ‘upsetting’. Mina Scarletti clearly hasn’t seen the memo about this. She’s intelligent, witty and brave - she’s also 4 feet 8 inches tall, and she has what appears to be a severe scoliosis. So those who don’t know her are surprised by her outlook on life and her independence. Mina is a great character, as are Dr Hamid, who is her physician and travels with her, and Nellie, her friend.

Nellie is invited to stay with an old friend, Kitty, from her stage days, and her wealthy husband. They have a large house in the country and it appears to be haunted. The maids won’t stay overnight, and Mrs Honeyacre (Kitty) is beside herself. Her husband is a big follower of spiritualism and the occult(it was very fashionable at this time), but just not in his house.

It’s a slow burner, but when the action gets going, it really does go for it. I’m no expert on Victorians, but the attitudes and daily routines rang true, and the characters were all interesting and on the whole, likeable - especially Mina. I loved how she consistently surprised the male characters: they expected a meek and mild, sickly girl, and got an outspoken and independent woman instead.

I hadn’t realised when I began to read this, that it was the fourth in a series. I didn’t feel that I missed anything by not reading the first three, and it definitely could be read as a stand-alone. However, based on this novel, I would think that books 1-3 will be going on to my ‘to read’ pile!

If you like Victorians, mysteries and possibly ghosts, then this is a book that you’ll enjoy. I did!

Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this to read and honestly review.
  
7 Days In Entebbe  (2018)
7 Days In Entebbe (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, International
Doesn't really work
Most of us (including me), when we heard about the new film 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE, thought to themselves "didn't they just make this film a few years ago...?" The answer is yes. A similar film to this - RAID ON ENTEBBE - was a TV movie made a few years ago - 42 years ago, to be precise. It starred Peter Finch, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden and good ol' Charles Bronson. Made a mere few months after the true events, this slapped together movie was an old-fashioned "shoot 'em up."

This film is most definitely not.

7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE tells the true story of the 1976 Air France Hijacking of (mostly) Israeli citizens that settle in Entebbe, Uganda (under the leadership of crazed dictator Idi Amin) - refusing to negotiate with terrorists, the Israeli government plan, stage and execute a daring rescue mission.

Sounds like a pretty good plot for a Charles Bronson shoot-em-up.

In this version, Director Jose Padilha (the 2014 remake of ROBOCOP) decides to focus most of his attention not on the hijacked Israeli citizens, but rather, a pair of German hijackers juxtaposed against the political infighting in Israel between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Defense Minister Shimon Peres. The Israeli governmental infighting was interesting to watch with intriguing characters and cat-and-mouse back-stabbing politics while the plight of the kidnappers was underwritten and underwhelming. Consequently, this film was "just okay".

Oh...and it had about an hour-fifteen minutes of content stretched over an hour-forty-five minutes, so to stretch things out, Padilha decided to cut back and forth between the action (what there was of it) and a modern dance recital. Clearly he was trying a metaphor of the dance punctuating the emotions and actions elsewhere. It just didn't work for me.

Neither did this film. Skip this one and check out the Charles Bronson shoot-em-up.

Letter Grade C+

5 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) Mar 22, 2018

Too bad. This looked good.

Caught in the Crossfire (PROTEKT #3)
Caught in the Crossfire (PROTEKT #3)
Michael Mandrake | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
butfor the missing information, might have been 5 stars!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Tryst is new to PROTEKT, and is sent to "babysit the pop tart". Bastien finds himself attracted to Tryst, but equally to Claudius, the guy who saved his life. Bastien is, however, in the middle of something far bigger than even his books could give him.

This is book 3 in the PROTEKT series. I have not read books one, On The Run, or book 2, Closely Guarded and I think maybe I should have done. While everything becomes clearer as to what's happening in THIS book, I wanted to know BEFORE. I wanted to know how Tryst came to PROTEKT, how the others guys knew just what he was really up to. I NEEDED that information, and it isn't fully recapped here.

THAT said, I rather enjoyed this, the first I've read of Mr Mandrake. Three very different guys, from very different backgrounds, are thrown together, and neither one is strong enough to keep away from the other.

It's very well told, from all three guys point of view. I saw no spelling or editing errors. I read it in one sitting, a little over the hour mark. Fully engrossed, I was!

I liked how it all played out, LOVED who the informant was! Did not see that one coming! Loved that the bad guy gets his come-uppence, and by whom! Well played there, Mr Mandrake, very well played.

I'd like to go back and read the other two books. just to fill in those missing pieces of information that I am missing. Maybe I'll come back and re-read this one after (don't die of shock, I'm so not a re-reader! ) I just need to know how Tryst came to PROTEKT, really!

Thank you, Mr Mandrake, for an enjoyable 75 minutes.

4 solid stars (but had I all the information, might have been 5!)

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
When Lana Davis, an insurance adjuster from LA, heads to Santa Fe to find a missing heir, she gets more than she bargained for. Her investigation takes her deep into Santa Fe’s art scene, where she finds forgery, murder, and temporary employment.

The story starts off slow, but once Lana makes it to Santa Fe the action, and the pace of the story, pick up. The search for Antonio “Lefty“ Sanchez, a client’s beneficiary, takes Lana to several galleries where Lefty was employed doing odd jobs. One of the gallery owners decides that an insurance investigator isn’t that far from private detective, and asks Lana to track down a missing painting and in so doing, save her gallery. While Lana’s main focus in Santa Fe should have been to track down Lefty Sanchez for the employer who is paying her expenses, she devotes most of her time and attention to her investigation of the missing artwork. The two mysteries eventually start to intertwine though, and there are enough suspects and red herrings to keep you guessing as to who has done what.

While they mystery itself is well plotted and enjoyable, the characters fell flat for me. I didn’t feel any emotional connection with the main character, or see any real conflict in her decision making process. Lana displays the same lack of commitment to her new part time job as she did to her original job, and I found her indifference off-putting. I prefer a heroine that I care about and can root for, or a main character that I can despise, but Lana was neither of these. With a little more character development this could turn into a good series though, so I’d be willing to give Lana one more try.

<i>NOTE: While I received a copy of the book and was compensated for my review, this in no way influenced my opinion or rating of the book.</i>
  
An intimate portrayal of Lisa Romeos larger-than-life father, Starting With Goodbye is so raw and emotional it gave me all the feels. All of them. This narrative hits particularly close to home, realizing how hard it is to come to terms with aging parents, and our aging selves.

This is a hard book to rate. You watch Lisa go through these feelings, ups and downs, and roller-coasters of emotions, yet I see the privilege and the money and just can't connect, and in some instances - I can't feel for her. But this is her story - I can't fault her for having what I did not.

Having this intimate look inside of her grief feels almost like spying, like we don't belong here, this isn't our story to read. But it's all part of it. But loss is loss, and it's sad all around and it's so very interesting to see inside someones head at their most painful moments.

I marvel in how she processes the loss of her father. It's brave. It's commendable. The things she does, and admits - I don't know if I could. I feel like I learned a lot, yet I'll still be unprepared as the same moments in life come for myself.

I believe if every person wrote the memoir of a beloved parents passing - they'd all be so different. Different stories and heartfelt memories of the past and completely unalike ways of grieving and how one handles it. But they'd all be the same: raw, sad, and beautiful.

I read this because I was curious... who would write something so personal, and so private? But I didn't find myself all that sad reading this. I was sad FOR her, but mostly I admired Lisa (and her eloquent prose), I adored her "mobster" dad, Tony, and I smiled at her story - because she wrote an ode to her hero and was courageous in doing so. It was like the ultimate love story between a daughter and her father.
  
Noughts and Crosses: Book 1
Noughts and Crosses: Book 1
Malorie Blackman | 2006 | Children
10
8.1 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
Why did it take me so long to pick up this book? This book is brilliant, I absolutely loved it. This is my first Dystopian novel and I will be definitely delving more into this genre.

For people who are unfamiliar with this genre, this is the definition: Dystopian is the exact opposite — it describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible.

This story is told from two POV’s, Callum and Sephy. Callum is white and a Nought. Sephy is black and a cross. Crosses are the ruling class and the noughts are the second rate citizens. The divide between the Noughts and Crosses is very clear and strict with no mingling.

Sephy and Callum are the best of friends even though society tries to keep them apart, they start meeting up in secret and as they grow so does their love for one another.

This book covers so many topics that are thought provoking, such as racism, predujice, terrorism and more. This book is very fast paced and action packed that you will fly through the book

I loved both of the characters, Sephy was a very strong and powerful character who was stubborn but knew what she wanted. Callum was equally as strong and wanted to make a change in the world but nobody would listen.

I loved everything about the book especially the ending.Oh my god the ending! I had a lump in my throat. God I love Sephy and Callum.

   <b> “Dear God, please let him have heard me. Please.
    Please.
    If you’re up there.
    Somewhere.”</b>

This is the first of four books in the series and will definitely be reading the others which are: Knife’s edge, Checkmate and Double Cross.

I would recommend this book to anyone! It really is great.

I rate this 5 out of 5 stars.

Please check out my Blog for other reviews www.louiselovesbooks.wordpress.com
  
Bishop Ridge (Sawyer&#039;s Ferry #2)
Bishop Ridge (Sawyer's Ferry #2)
Cate Ashwood | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
a far more engaging read than book one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book two in the Sawyer's Ferry series. It's not really necessary to read book one, Alaska, first but I would personally say you should. Gage and Holden play a huge part here. And their story is really rather good too!

Jackson walks into Logan's clinic and sparks fly. I mean, even Logan was thinking about going against his doctor/patient rules. But Logan passes Jackson's case to Holden and all bets are off. But both men have a no-repeat rule. So just why are they going for round two, three and more?

Logan is Gage's partner at the hospital and best friend. We met him in Alaska. I'm glad he got his story!

It is again told from both men's point of view in the first person. Not my favourite, but Ms Ashwood seems to somehow negate that fact and I really am enjoying this series.

I loved the fact that this . . . Non-relationship kinda creeps up on both the guys. Its very much a slow burn in regards to the emotions involved for them both. Steam and passion? Immediate and powerful but the emotions creep up on them and it takes a while for them to see. Loved that they both fought it, hard.

Loved how Logan made Jackson admit to his feelings but not what got them to that point! Scary, I was worried!

We never did get to the story about how Jackson has a gunshot wound from 6 years ago, but it's only when typing this up that I realised that!

I gave Alaska 4 stars, but I found myself far more engaged with Logan and Jackson, than I was with Gage and Holden, so. . .

5 full and shiny stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Flashback
Flashback
Shannon Messenger | 2018 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Will a Flashback advance the Neverseen's Plans?
As this book opens, Alvar's sentencing for his betrayal is about to happen. The entire Vacker family has assembled in the senate chambers, and Sophie and Keefe have been invited to be there as well. It becomes clear why when the sentence is read, and Alvar is sent to live with his parents and siblings, Sophie's friends Fitz and Biana. Both of Sophie's friends, but Fitz especially, don't trust their older brother and suspect a trick of some sort. But before Alvar's dwelling is even ready for him, Fitz and Sophie are attacked by the Neverseen, barely escaping with their lives. As they spend time recovering, they begin to wonder what their attack means in the group's long term plans. Can they figure it out?

I waited longer than I wished to read this book because I needed to find time to read the 850 pages we get here. I did feel the pacing was a bit off at times, especially early on, but overall this is another strong book. We learn some things that will definitely advance the story in future books, and we get some great twists before we reach the climax. Plus, we are left with some nasty cliffhangers. Flashback comes to mean something else by the end of the book, so don't go into this expecting lots of time spent in the past, although the past does come into play as the book progresses. Once again, the characters are fun, and they provided some great laughs along the way. I felt like this was funnier than the last couple of books have been, and I enjoyed that aspect as well. Fans will definitely be glad they picked up the book. If you aren't a fan yet, it's best to go back to the beginning to fully understand everything that is happening here.
  
Star Wars: Bloodline
Star Wars: Bloodline
Claudia Gray | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
4
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
By and large, most of the Star Wars books to date (including in the old EU), have pretty much belonged to the 'boys club', dfocusing more on the male characters (Han, Luke, the X-Wing pilots, etc) than on their female contemporaries.

I think that's to be expected, given the predominantly male targer audience of the film series - an expectation that Disney themselves are trying to shake up, both in the new films (both of which - The Force Awakens and Rogue One - , so far, have female leads), and in the wider media, as can be shown by their 'Princess Leia' series of comics.

This follows(?) (or did it come first?) in the latter footsteps, with nary a sign of Luke and Han only popping in to give Leia a hand towards the climax of the novel.

Set in the period between the end of 'Return of the Jedi' and the start of 'The Force Awakens', this also seeks to bridge the gap between those two films, providing a bit of background to the history of The First Order and explaining why, if Leia was part of the Rebellion which toppled the Empire, just why she is now a key member in The Resistance - the Resistance to what, I hear you ask? This answers that question.

It's not a bad read by any strecth of the imagination - according to Goodreads own rating system, 2 stars is a 'I liked it'; I just personally found this a slower, somewhat heavier read than [a:Claudia Gray|1192311|Claudia Gray|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1234643683p2/1192311.jpg]'s other Star Wars title: '[b:Lost Stars|25067046|Lost Stars (Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens)|Claudia Gray|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1462731623s/25067046.jpg|44751860]';. And yes, I'm aware that this is aimed at a different audience.

How best to put it? I didn't find myself reading this quite so much in my spare time on the bus on the way to work!