Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (3143)

Content

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies

Feb 11, 2018 (Updated Feb 11, 2018)

The Snowman (2017)

2017 | Crime, Drama, Horror

4.9

(32 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Where was Aled Jones?!

Misfiring Scandi crime thriller which was part of Michael Fassbender's attempt to appear in as many dud movies as possible in 2017. There's a serial killer on the loose and a brilliant detective with a troubled personal life (gee, where do they think of these new ideas?) gets on the case.

The film's plot is really lacking in focus and it engages in the usual casual misogyny that seems to be perfectly acceptable on-screen; a baffling subplot featuring flashbacks with Val Kilmer is arguably a mistake (then again, this film is not exactly short of mis-steps). The film's pretensions to be a serious drama are not much helped by the extent to which the Magic Wand of Improbable Coincidences has been waved over the script. It is all a bit grim and muddled.

Kudos

Sue (5 KP) rated Murder at the Makeover in Books

Aug 13, 2018

Kaye twins Georgie and Aleta are invited to what they believe is an impromptu reunion with classmates from high school, but it turns out to be what Georgie calls a makeup Ponzi scheme. She doesn’t want to take part in a makeover using unusual ingredients and wants to high tail it out of there. Unfortunately, an old classmate is found dead in the ladies room and the girls find themselves on the case.

Georgia and Aleta are 60+-year-olds, full of spunk, and can’t resist tasty pastries. They often find themselves in the middle of murder investigations and often find themselves in trouble with Georgie’s ex-husband Stan. Did I mention that he is a homicide detective?

If you like humor, hijinks, cozy mysteries, and fun-loving characters then this book has what you are looking for.

Kudos

Dalicat (20 KP) rated charlie parker series in Books

Aug 30, 2018

charlie parker series

John Connolly | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

9.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Intriguing characters combined with organic and wholly unpredictable plots. Combines heartbreaking tenderness with terrifying menace both human and (maybe) supernatural. (0 more)

Charlie Parker has captured my soul

I picked up one of these novels off the Library shelf at random and have been unable to stop reading the series since (currently awaiting the next one). These novels tackle all the great themes of love and loss, of Good and Evil, of fall and redemption. The author's journalistic background is evident in the painstaking research that has been carried out to create these works. Charlie Parker is the most intriguing and multidimensional fictional detective I have encountered. Oh, and John Connolly's prose sometimes makes me have to stop and catch my breath so I can pause and just reread the magical combination of words I have discovered like diamonds in a mine.

Kudos

Hazel (2934 KP) rated When You Have To Go There in Books

Sep 16, 2018

Detective Lipscomb is a very strong character. Finding herself the scapegoat of all that has gone wrong on a previous case, she ends up being right at the centre of another high profile serial murder case but this isn't your ordinary serial killer; the victims are Helen's colleagues and it will take all her police know-how to solve the case whilst being under the microscope of the top brass who are just waiting for an excuse to get rid of her.

Written at a perfect pace with a great story line and tense moments, this is a good read that I would recommend.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the author after having previously read and reviewed a couple of his previous books - The Group and The Litter - which I thoroughly enjoyed and this one was no different.

Kudos

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Detective Story (1951) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020

Detective Story (1951)

1951 | Classics, Drama, Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Adapted from a stage play that he loved, Detective story typifies the kind of roles of a man under pressure that Douglas came to be indelibly identified with. This time it was his co-star Eleanor Parker who got the Academy Award nomination, but it was their chemistry that really drew the eye. The troubles of life, and the task of being a good man in the face of a bad world were the themes Douglas tackled here. The setting of crime fighting over one day in the 21st precinct is secondary to the personal fight of the “hard-nosed” Jim McLeod, who does his best but can never get ahead. There are shadows of such films as Miller’s Crossing, LA Confidential and even Blade Runner in here. Notable for some gorgeous film-noir photography, and the obligatory Douglas breakdown speech.