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Peter Strickland recommended One Day (2018) in Movies (curated)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Weight of Shadows (Shadow Series #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The description above, does not do the justice to this book, there is so much more to it than it is given away in the blurb.
One thing for sure about this book, it is not boring. The book begins by introducing characters, and you should pay attention, because there is a vast amount of them. In the beginning, I was confused of who belonged were, but as I continued reading this book, it all made sense. These 300 pages are filled with action, robberies, murders, kidnapping, police investigations and of course, Ukrainian Mafia. And believe it or not, everything is entangled so masterfully that it makes one huge, great crime mystery.
The characters chosen for this book are very diverse, intriguing and complex. The book covers period of six days and it is unbelievable what can happen in that period of time. I, personally, could not choose my favourite character in this book, because there were too many great personalities. This novel was told from multiple perspectives, and it allowed to get to know the characters better, and made the book more interesting for the reader. I do like books, which are set in London, and I really enjoyed the detailed knowledge of this city, which Holton shared in the book. It just somehow warms my heart and makes it more realistic.
I really enjoyed how fast paced this book’s narrative was. Every chapter gives a different character’s story, so it was a real page turner for me, as I wanted to find out, what happened to other characters. There were a lot of twists and turns in this novel, however, some of the parts were quite obvious, and it annoyed me that those great detectives couldn’t figure out some of the things quicker. This novel is a debut for Holton, but in the prologue chapter, there is an incredibly interesting character mentioned, where it feels like this is a second book in the series, and I honestly hope that one day there will be a book about the “skin artist” and that investigation.
The writing style was pleasurable to read with easy and understandable language . I loved the short chapters of this book, and it was fast paced and indulging read. I should mention, that there are murders, blood and violence in this book, so it is not suitable for people with weak nerves. The ending of this book has very unexpected twist and a cliff hanger, which is driving me mad, but otherwise it gives a satisfactory ending for this part of the series. So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this book, because it has riveting, complex variety of characters, and the plot is masterfully twisted making it an indulging, fast paced book, which deserves to be read. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Was given this book by author for honest review.
One thing for sure about this book, it is not boring. The book begins by introducing characters, and you should pay attention, because there is a vast amount of them. In the beginning, I was confused of who belonged were, but as I continued reading this book, it all made sense. These 300 pages are filled with action, robberies, murders, kidnapping, police investigations and of course, Ukrainian Mafia. And believe it or not, everything is entangled so masterfully that it makes one huge, great crime mystery.
The characters chosen for this book are very diverse, intriguing and complex. The book covers period of six days and it is unbelievable what can happen in that period of time. I, personally, could not choose my favourite character in this book, because there were too many great personalities. This novel was told from multiple perspectives, and it allowed to get to know the characters better, and made the book more interesting for the reader. I do like books, which are set in London, and I really enjoyed the detailed knowledge of this city, which Holton shared in the book. It just somehow warms my heart and makes it more realistic.
I really enjoyed how fast paced this book’s narrative was. Every chapter gives a different character’s story, so it was a real page turner for me, as I wanted to find out, what happened to other characters. There were a lot of twists and turns in this novel, however, some of the parts were quite obvious, and it annoyed me that those great detectives couldn’t figure out some of the things quicker. This novel is a debut for Holton, but in the prologue chapter, there is an incredibly interesting character mentioned, where it feels like this is a second book in the series, and I honestly hope that one day there will be a book about the “skin artist” and that investigation.
The writing style was pleasurable to read with easy and understandable language . I loved the short chapters of this book, and it was fast paced and indulging read. I should mention, that there are murders, blood and violence in this book, so it is not suitable for people with weak nerves. The ending of this book has very unexpected twist and a cliff hanger, which is driving me mad, but otherwise it gives a satisfactory ending for this part of the series. So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this book, because it has riveting, complex variety of characters, and the plot is masterfully twisted making it an indulging, fast paced book, which deserves to be read. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Was given this book by author for honest review.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Whisper Man in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This novel was told from multiple perspectives, but the main characters in this book were Jake and his dad Tom. They move to a new town after Tom’s wife dies. The town is quite ordinary, except for the fact that they moved to a house locally called “the scary house”, and that a child disappeared and was found murdered, and then Jake starts to hear the whispers just outside his window… 😮
I really enjoyed this book and the story. The characters chosen for this novel are quite ordinary, but at the same time incredibly mysterious. I really enjoy reading multiple perspectives, and especially when the murderer’s thoughts are incorporated as well, and this book didn’t disappoint me with that. I really liked how the author delivered the characters, he concentrated on the important ones, and I was able to find out more about them. My favourite character has to be Jake, he is smart, sweet, interesting, and he truly shines in this book. I really enjoyed the variety of characters as well.
The narrative of this novel is very creatively crafted, it has plenty of twists and surprises, and I really liked the way Alex North was building up the suspense throughout this novel. This book had not only chills and thrills, but also some very deep and insightful monologues as well. The characters discussed such topics as loss and how they are dealing with it, how fathers influence their sons, alcoholism and it’s consequences, single parent struggles, and many more. Even though there are female characters in this novel, the author concentrates more on Father-Son bond and relationships, and it feels quite masculine at times, and I really liked reading about it.
I enjoyed the writing style of this book, the book was very well composed and delivered. The chapters are short, so it was very hard to put it down. There are some very disturbing scenes in this book related to dead seven-year-old children, so it is not for faint-hearted readers. Even though this story is very gripping, I was expecting something more from the culmination, it was good, but it could’ve been even better. I liked how this book ended, I think it rounded the story very nicely. There is not much information about the author himself, but I believe it was his debut novel, and I truly hope that there will be more coming in the near future. 🙂
So, to conclude, it was a true page turner for me, that left me scared at night. I loved the complex characters, unexpected discoveries, and always lingering fear and creepiness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I strongly recommend it to all mystery and thriller fans. There are rumours that there will be a film, and I absolutely can’t wait to see, how it will be adapted to the big screen.
I really enjoyed this book and the story. The characters chosen for this novel are quite ordinary, but at the same time incredibly mysterious. I really enjoy reading multiple perspectives, and especially when the murderer’s thoughts are incorporated as well, and this book didn’t disappoint me with that. I really liked how the author delivered the characters, he concentrated on the important ones, and I was able to find out more about them. My favourite character has to be Jake, he is smart, sweet, interesting, and he truly shines in this book. I really enjoyed the variety of characters as well.
The narrative of this novel is very creatively crafted, it has plenty of twists and surprises, and I really liked the way Alex North was building up the suspense throughout this novel. This book had not only chills and thrills, but also some very deep and insightful monologues as well. The characters discussed such topics as loss and how they are dealing with it, how fathers influence their sons, alcoholism and it’s consequences, single parent struggles, and many more. Even though there are female characters in this novel, the author concentrates more on Father-Son bond and relationships, and it feels quite masculine at times, and I really liked reading about it.
I enjoyed the writing style of this book, the book was very well composed and delivered. The chapters are short, so it was very hard to put it down. There are some very disturbing scenes in this book related to dead seven-year-old children, so it is not for faint-hearted readers. Even though this story is very gripping, I was expecting something more from the culmination, it was good, but it could’ve been even better. I liked how this book ended, I think it rounded the story very nicely. There is not much information about the author himself, but I believe it was his debut novel, and I truly hope that there will be more coming in the near future. 🙂
So, to conclude, it was a true page turner for me, that left me scared at night. I loved the complex characters, unexpected discoveries, and always lingering fear and creepiness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I strongly recommend it to all mystery and thriller fans. There are rumours that there will be a film, and I absolutely can’t wait to see, how it will be adapted to the big screen.
RAVENMARK: Scourge of Estellion
Games
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50% OFF FOR WWDC! Experience the award-winning wargame, Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion, where epic...
Wintres Woma by James Elkington
Album
RIYL Steve Gunn, Michael Chapman, Kevin Ayers, Bert Jansch, Ryley Walker, Jim O'Rourke, Scott...
The Inner World
Games
App
The Inner World – A hilarious and critically acclaimed 2D-Point’n’Click Adventure. Robert...
Never Alone: Ki Edition
Games and Education
App
A worldwide App Store Editors’ Choice. “Stunningly poignant - and quite brilliant. 10/10.” -...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Don't Breathe 2 (2021) in Movies
Aug 18, 2021
Nicely paced direction and non stop (bloody) action (1 more)
Madelyn Grace delivers a nice and professional performance
Not very original (1 more)
Should we be rooting for Norman at all?
That kid’ll need counselling for life!
I mean. If there was ever an opportunity to come up with a clever title for a sequel, this was it right? "Breathe Again"; "Hold it for a bit longer"; "Are You Turning Blue Yet?". But no... we just get a boring old "2" at the end!
Positives:
- Five years is an awfully long time to wait for a sequel! I have to admit I needed to read through my original review for "Don't Breathe" and the synopsis on IMDB before I went to see this. But, given that it is a fairly standard schlock-horror home-invasion movie, this is a nicely pieced together movie. Debut director Sayagues, who co-wrote the first film with original director Fede Alverez, moves the action along at a non-stop pace leaving you quite exhausted by the end of the (pleasantly short) 98 minutes.
- Stephen Lang nicely retreads his monster from the first movie as a besotted but anxious parent. But particularly good I thought was Madelyn Grace who plays the 11 year old Phoenix. I never once thought "there's a child actress doing a performance". Great job!
Negatives:
- It doesn't get many brownie points for originality: the blindness dice was already rolled in the original. So here we get some re-tread scenes of "the blind man being king", with red insecticide spray replacing the darkness.
- It never feels quite right that you are supposed to be cheering on Nordstrom: someone with virtually no redeeming features (other than a love for dogs).
- The original film had a decidedly icky moment with the whole baster thing. Here we have an equally icky, if ridiculous, plot-twist, taking us into a very dark place indeed. But what is supposed to be a shock-horror moment actually had me in fits of laughter, since all I could think of was a particular scene in "Monty Python and the Meaning of Life"!
Summary Thoughts on "Don't Breathe 2": We've been here so many times before that it's almost a (bloody) paint by numbers. But I have to admit that I thought this one was well done, and a cut above the norm. The first movie made $158M on a budget of just $10M. This one has a (restrained) $15M budget, and has already made that back. Good for them. The gore factor makes it not one for the illustrious Mrs Movie Man (who wisely didn't come). But for horror fans out for a nice gory little romp, this has its attractions.
And by the way, there is a 'monkey' (post-credit scene in One Mann's Movies speak) in this one. Well, Alvarez and Sayagues aren't going to dead-end their options for a "Don't Breathe 3" are they?
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Positives:
- Five years is an awfully long time to wait for a sequel! I have to admit I needed to read through my original review for "Don't Breathe" and the synopsis on IMDB before I went to see this. But, given that it is a fairly standard schlock-horror home-invasion movie, this is a nicely pieced together movie. Debut director Sayagues, who co-wrote the first film with original director Fede Alverez, moves the action along at a non-stop pace leaving you quite exhausted by the end of the (pleasantly short) 98 minutes.
- Stephen Lang nicely retreads his monster from the first movie as a besotted but anxious parent. But particularly good I thought was Madelyn Grace who plays the 11 year old Phoenix. I never once thought "there's a child actress doing a performance". Great job!
Negatives:
- It doesn't get many brownie points for originality: the blindness dice was already rolled in the original. So here we get some re-tread scenes of "the blind man being king", with red insecticide spray replacing the darkness.
- It never feels quite right that you are supposed to be cheering on Nordstrom: someone with virtually no redeeming features (other than a love for dogs).
- The original film had a decidedly icky moment with the whole baster thing. Here we have an equally icky, if ridiculous, plot-twist, taking us into a very dark place indeed. But what is supposed to be a shock-horror moment actually had me in fits of laughter, since all I could think of was a particular scene in "Monty Python and the Meaning of Life"!
Summary Thoughts on "Don't Breathe 2": We've been here so many times before that it's almost a (bloody) paint by numbers. But I have to admit that I thought this one was well done, and a cut above the norm. The first movie made $158M on a budget of just $10M. This one has a (restrained) $15M budget, and has already made that back. Good for them. The gore factor makes it not one for the illustrious Mrs Movie Man (who wisely didn't come). But for horror fans out for a nice gory little romp, this has its attractions.
And by the way, there is a 'monkey' (post-credit scene in One Mann's Movies speak) in this one. Well, Alvarez and Sayagues aren't going to dead-end their options for a "Don't Breathe 3" are they?
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Reminiscence (2021) in Movies
Aug 24, 2021
Soggy special effects. (1 more)
Ramin Djawadi's music score
I’ll only remember how disappointing it was.
It's the near future and global warming and a recent war have drastically changed life in Miami. The days are too hot to do anything other than sleep, and the oceans have risen deluging the city. Ex-military colleagues Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and 'Watts' Sanders (Thandiwe Newton) run a 'reminiscence' business, allowing customers to re-experience memories from their past as if they were there. But when nightclub singer Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) begs for their help in finding her lost keys Nick's heart, life and livelihood are thrown into turmoil.
Positives:
- The special effects showing a submerged Miami are impressive enough.
- I enjoyed the soundtrack by "Westworld" and "Game of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi.
Negatives:
- The script is dreadful. Hugh Jackman's does a voiceover.... and regular readers of mine will know my feelings about those!!! Here he drones on incessantly about things like "memories being beads on time's necklace". Outside of the voiceover, the dialogue generally doesn't sound remotely like things that people would say to each other. There are some cringe-inducing segments of speechifying. That's when you can actually understand what's being said: I found the sound mix makes that really difficult with some of the lines.
- This seemed to me to be reflected in the performances of Jackman, Ferguson and Newton. Star-power indeed, but it appeared to me that they didn't have confidence in the words. Fans of the trio will, I think, be disappointed. (And I am a big fan of Rebecca Ferguson. She is again gorgeous here and - unlike in "The Greatest Showman" - actually gets to sing).
Summary Thoughts on "Reminiscence": This film is a big disappointment to me. When I first saw the trailer, I went "YES, YES, YES!!". It looked like an interesting post-apocalyptic sci-fi with perhaps elements of "Inception", "Waterworld" and "Flatliners" thrown in. Jackman even gets to tussle with sheets on a rooftop again! (Was anyone else playing "A Million Dreams" in their head?). But then came the film itself. The result was that about two-thirds in I was really willing it to end. (On principle, I don't walk out of movies). To be fair, the story did pick up slightly towards the conclusion, so I could quietly put my 1* rating away.
I really feel sorry for writer/director Lisa Joy for writing such a negative review. The executive producer of "Westworld" (who's also written and directed some episodes) had secured Jackman and brought some of her "Westworld" talent with her. I'm sure she put her heart and soul into this as her directorial feature debut. But I'm afraid it just did nothing for me and - given the talent available - came across as a wasted opportunity.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
Positives:
- The special effects showing a submerged Miami are impressive enough.
- I enjoyed the soundtrack by "Westworld" and "Game of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi.
Negatives:
- The script is dreadful. Hugh Jackman's does a voiceover.... and regular readers of mine will know my feelings about those!!! Here he drones on incessantly about things like "memories being beads on time's necklace". Outside of the voiceover, the dialogue generally doesn't sound remotely like things that people would say to each other. There are some cringe-inducing segments of speechifying. That's when you can actually understand what's being said: I found the sound mix makes that really difficult with some of the lines.
- This seemed to me to be reflected in the performances of Jackman, Ferguson and Newton. Star-power indeed, but it appeared to me that they didn't have confidence in the words. Fans of the trio will, I think, be disappointed. (And I am a big fan of Rebecca Ferguson. She is again gorgeous here and - unlike in "The Greatest Showman" - actually gets to sing).
Summary Thoughts on "Reminiscence": This film is a big disappointment to me. When I first saw the trailer, I went "YES, YES, YES!!". It looked like an interesting post-apocalyptic sci-fi with perhaps elements of "Inception", "Waterworld" and "Flatliners" thrown in. Jackman even gets to tussle with sheets on a rooftop again! (Was anyone else playing "A Million Dreams" in their head?). But then came the film itself. The result was that about two-thirds in I was really willing it to end. (On principle, I don't walk out of movies). To be fair, the story did pick up slightly towards the conclusion, so I could quietly put my 1* rating away.
I really feel sorry for writer/director Lisa Joy for writing such a negative review. The executive producer of "Westworld" (who's also written and directed some episodes) had secured Jackman and brought some of her "Westworld" talent with her. I'm sure she put her heart and soul into this as her directorial feature debut. But I'm afraid it just did nothing for me and - given the talent available - came across as a wasted opportunity.
(For the full graphical review, please check out onemannsmovies on the web, Facebook and Tiktok. Thanks.)
