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Awix (3310 KP) rated Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) (2018) in Movies

Mar 12, 2019 (Updated Mar 12, 2019)

Spanish-language Euro-drama from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi is about as odd a fish as you might expect. Family wedding is going well until Penelope Cruz's daughter is kidnapped; much stressed is placed on everyone involved and their relationships, causing secrets to bubble to the surface in an unwelcome (to say the least) manner.

The thriller elements are definitely a bit of a red herring, as for much of the film the plight of the missing girl seems to get rather forgotten about while everyone sits or stands around articulating their personal baggage and unfinished emotional business. It does get a bit slow and talky (I believe I dozed off for a few moments), but the performances are meaty, involving ones with Cruz and Bardem showing every bit of their star quality and acting ability. Too well-scripted to really qualify as a melodrama, but certainly slices itself a thick slab of theatrical ham; performances make it a worthwhile watch.

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April Rose Mossow (93 KP) rated Sadie in Books

May 20, 2019

Sadie

Courtney Summers | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)

8.5

(11 Ratings)

Book Rating

When Sadie’s sister Maddie is found dead, it sets off a series of events: A road trip, uncovering secrets, but also, asking more questions than it answers. I really enjoyed this book, slowly the adrenaline just kicks you into gear and you’re rushing through the book to finish. It’s a murder-mystery, tangled with lies, family dysfunction, and vengeance. Told between podcasts and the perspective of its main character, it’s a different style of writing, written especially for this generation’s teens. You feel so deeply for Sadie, and the people she meets along the way. The story is fast-paced and keeps you thoroughly engaged. (I didn’t want to put it down!) Sadie is a well written, real character you root for through the entirety of the book. It’s such a sad chain of events, you don’t really know what to expect, but you hope against all hope that Sadie makes it out alive.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated A Muddied Murder (A Greenhouse Mystery #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

Megan Sawyer’s plans to revitalize her family’s farm and open a small store and café are constantly hitting the road block of Simon Duvall. Simon is the head of the local zoning commission, and he keeps failing her on every inspection. After the latest one, Megan finds Simon murdered in the farm’s barn. Naturally, the police are looking at Megan as a suspect, but all Megan can wonder is why Simon was killed in the barn.

This is a wonderful debut! There are some secrets in Megan’s family that come to light over the course of the book and add another layer to the story. I can’t wait to see where that goes next. The mystery of Simon’s murder is also very well done with plenty of surprises along the way. Top that off with great characters. I can’t wait to return for the sequel.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/06/book-review-muddied-murder-by-wendy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Kudos

Vegas (725 KP) rated Locke and Key in TV

Feb 17, 2020

Locke and Key

2020 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

8.1

(35 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

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Lacking something (0 more)

I wanted to like this more than I did

I liked the idea of this series, returning to the family house after the death of the dad, a widow and her children enter a strange fantasy world where keys unlock a random selection of things, memories, doors to anywhere, shape changing and other things...
What is the mystery of what happened to the dad and his friends years previous, who are hiding secrets.

While I didn't like it as much as I thought I would have, as it lacked something (not quite sure what) to make it a must watch, I did enjoy it to some degree and I think it is a series that would improve once it's been around a while, enough for the characters to mean something to us as viewers as it did feel as if it was quite rushed in its storytelling. Spreading it over a full 24 episode series would probably have been an improvement...