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Housebound (2014)
Housebound (2014)
2014 | Comedy, Mystery
Neither funny nor scary enough to fully accomplish what it wants to, but it's *almost* wild enough to. Hurts to go hard on this one because many of its flaws come from simply how ambitious this is on such a small budget - so it's at least always admirable in spite of them; but I can't look past how rough those first 45 minutes are nor how it largely abandons the loads upon loads of potential this premise has in favor of its eventual rug-pull twist to sort of carry the movie from there (which it at least does pretty okay). Because of this we see supporting characters who crave to be more fleshed-out and intriguing plot elements you wish they ran with more instead of more borrowed platitudes. But as aforementioned, those last 50 or so minutes are a fucking RIOT (if still painfully underdeveloped, at least it's fun to watch - with some unexpectedly potent emotion [again, underwritten though]). Even when it falls flat on its face there's a charming earnestness here that can't be denied. It's decent but far from the revolutionary cinema everyone seems to think it is - though it could have been.
  
    iShine LED Free Flashlight

    iShine LED Free Flashlight

    Utilities and Entertainment

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    !!! Nr.1 Flashlight in worldwide markets! !!! Going someplace? Into a dark basement corner, under...

    Aviva EzSnap

    Aviva EzSnap

    Business and Finance

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    Aviva EzSnap is a must-have application (app) for advisers to submit pending documents...

    Haberturk

    Haberturk

    News and Finance

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    Download Haberturk App and reach the latest news. Features; - You can customize the design of app...

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2579 KP) rated At Death’s Dough in Books

Dec 18, 2025 (Updated Dec 18, 2025)  
At Death’s Dough
At Death’s Dough
Mindy Quigley | 2025 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Frozen Valentine’s Day
It’s the beginning of February, and Delilah O’Leary is finding the quiet season is quieter than she planned on. She’s hoping for a full restaurant on Valentine’s Day to help carry her through to tourist season again. On one of the restaurant’s days closed, Delilah and her great aunt go out ice fishing, and they make an unexpected discovery - a dead body under the ice. The victim was dressed for scuba diving, but who would dive in the lake in the middle of the winter?

The premise definitely caught my attention, although I found the pacing was uneven. Yes, I could tell the story was being set up, but it felt a bit random to me for a while. Once things really got going, I was hooked, with plenty of excitement, especially in the final quarter. And we did reach a logical conclusion. The characters continue to shine, and I especially appreciated seeing Delilah growing while building her relationship with her boyfriend. And we get another four recipes to enjoy at the end. If you enjoy culinary cozies, you’ll find yourself grabbing all the slices in this series.
  
Den Of Thieves (2018)
Den Of Thieves (2018)
2018 | Action, Crime, Drama
Heist films are typically filled with tropes and clichéd action sequences. Den of Thieves offers a new perspective on crime action films. The film stars O’Shea Jackson Junior (Straight Outta Compton) and Gerard Butler (300) on opposite sides of the law. Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr) is a new member of a bank heist crew focused on robbing the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles. Gerard Butler heads up a special division of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department that is determined on stopping this crew.

The film delves deeper than typical films of this genre. Instead of having one-dimensional characters who are either career criminals or law enforcement officers seeking to be heroes, we find characters that are much more than their description. The criminals are cerebral and men of action. We see them as flawed beings who have families, friendships, and goals of eventually leaving crime.

For those on the side of the law, we witness how these heroes are only valiant on the outside. We see them as vulnerable, overzealous, and skirting the law as they view themselves as the embodiment of the law.

Den of Thieves demonstrates that crime action films can have well-developed storylines that don’t rely on the action to carry the film forward. The film will have audiences speculating about the next move and progression of the stories and crimes in a way that would make Ocean’s Eleven envious in its creativity. The characters have you confused and conflicted as who to pull for as they make the criminals relatable and sympathetic.

Den Of Thieves raises the bar for the genre of heist movies.