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Ross (3284 KP) rated Making A Murderer - Season 1 in TV
Jan 18, 2018
Not normally a true-crime or documentary fan, I wanted to see what the fuss was all about (but safely after all the buzz has died down). I absolutely loved the documentary. To see how the American justice system, trial by camera, trust in authority figures, all fits together and just how open to abuse it is is incredible.
I mean, obviously the documentary is edited in such a way as to make you believe his innocence, but even just weighing up all the oddities with the evidence and all the different pathways that lead to the same two questionable police officers would lead any sane person to believe he was framed.
The fact that the series covers the case over the span of 10 episodes, without losing traction at any point is incredible.
I have become somewhat obsessed with the case and am currently reading through 220 pages of Avery's latest appeal, and spent far too long watching videos showing the crime scene photos were photo-shopped.
I mean, obviously the documentary is edited in such a way as to make you believe his innocence, but even just weighing up all the oddities with the evidence and all the different pathways that lead to the same two questionable police officers would lead any sane person to believe he was framed.
The fact that the series covers the case over the span of 10 episodes, without losing traction at any point is incredible.
I have become somewhat obsessed with the case and am currently reading through 220 pages of Avery's latest appeal, and spent far too long watching videos showing the crime scene photos were photo-shopped.
Joe Julians (221 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Feb 6, 2018
Solid performances (1 more)
Great effects
The Cloverfield link (1 more)
Muddled story
Not a long review for this one as I can't think of too much to say about it. There's a great movie here somewhere, the first half in particular sets up a solid space adventure that looks to really focus on the intriguing alternate reality concept it presents. But this ends up becoming muddled and not overly interesting. The cast are fne and the script has moments of greatness, but a lot of this is just a bit dull and not as gripping as it could have been.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
As for the Cloverfield part, well it seems that this was never meant to have a connection at all. It seems all too apparent that all the links to the franchise were included later through reshoots and as such, it's all a muddled mess by the time the credits roll. It's a sometimes good space movie, but a pretty shoddy Cloverfield movie. Marketing wise though, the release of this was genuius. It's just a shame that hype vanishes once the movie concludes.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Only The Brave (2017) in Movies
Mar 21, 2018
You need to see this...
The true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots is compelling in every way and should not be missed.
Their triumphs and tragedies make for enriching, adventurous drama as well as seat-gripping adventure.
Jeff Bridges has the quote of the film saying : "If you're looking for sympathy, the only place you're going to find it is in the dictionary, somewhere between shit and syphilis."
The bravery of these men running into fire while the rest of us run away should make us average folk not so worried about our cell phone batteries or what you are having for dinner tonight.
The film is not only about the men, but their relationships, families and the hard choices they must make in order to be a part of this daredevil profession lifestyle.
I loved this film.
P.S. How does Jennifer Connelly keep getting more beautiful ? I looked it up and she's actually older than me and I look like a dried up turd. Unbelieveable!
Their triumphs and tragedies make for enriching, adventurous drama as well as seat-gripping adventure.
Jeff Bridges has the quote of the film saying : "If you're looking for sympathy, the only place you're going to find it is in the dictionary, somewhere between shit and syphilis."
The bravery of these men running into fire while the rest of us run away should make us average folk not so worried about our cell phone batteries or what you are having for dinner tonight.
The film is not only about the men, but their relationships, families and the hard choices they must make in order to be a part of this daredevil profession lifestyle.
I loved this film.
P.S. How does Jennifer Connelly keep getting more beautiful ? I looked it up and she's actually older than me and I look like a dried up turd. Unbelieveable!
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 15, 2018 (Updated Mar 15, 2018)
Last scene was the only good scene
I may be able to speak for many who saw this film and thought what the heck was that about? Natalie Portman, a biologist, ventures into unknown territory after her husband, played by Oscar Isaac, mysteriously reappears after a year completely oblivious to where he had been. In a bid to seek answers, she teams up with a group of women for what can only be described as a suicide mission.
This may have gone far past Philip K. Dick territory in bizarreness. Most of the film felt inconsequential, with strange atmospheric music, and confusing sequences of events. It definitely seemed like the director tried incredibly hard to create an intelligent science fiction thriller in the same vein as @Solaris (2002) or @Arrival (2016), but the weak plot just seemed to refract his overall intention (see what I did there?)
The last few scenes were probably the most gripping, and rather unnerving. But unfortunately two scenes does not make a film.
This may have gone far past Philip K. Dick territory in bizarreness. Most of the film felt inconsequential, with strange atmospheric music, and confusing sequences of events. It definitely seemed like the director tried incredibly hard to create an intelligent science fiction thriller in the same vein as @Solaris (2002) or @Arrival (2016), but the weak plot just seemed to refract his overall intention (see what I did there?)
The last few scenes were probably the most gripping, and rather unnerving. But unfortunately two scenes does not make a film.
Katarzyna Krasuska (81 KP) rated Find Her in Books
Aug 15, 2018 (Updated Aug 16, 2018)
Very strong female character (2 more)
Very gripping
Female Charles Bronson
Make this into a movie!
This is definitely a book that should be made into a film.
I saw this interview with Reese Witherspoon, where she talks about books, that she has made into films, because they're female driven. Yet the books she focuses her attention on are not strong or interesting enough, like "Gone girl " or "Husband's secret" . Here we have a female author, a female kick ass character, that is not just strong, but smart, brave and I would happily say dangerous. Not just that, I genuinely believe men would like to watch this too.
The main character of this book was abducted by a psycho and kept in a box for 472 days. When she gets rescued, instead of just trying to move on with her life, she goes into avenger mode. She learns how to fight, reads awful lot about self defense and decides to get the justice herself.
Amazing story, that I think all women should read.
I saw this interview with Reese Witherspoon, where she talks about books, that she has made into films, because they're female driven. Yet the books she focuses her attention on are not strong or interesting enough, like "Gone girl " or "Husband's secret" . Here we have a female author, a female kick ass character, that is not just strong, but smart, brave and I would happily say dangerous. Not just that, I genuinely believe men would like to watch this too.
The main character of this book was abducted by a psycho and kept in a box for 472 days. When she gets rescued, instead of just trying to move on with her life, she goes into avenger mode. She learns how to fight, reads awful lot about self defense and decides to get the justice herself.
Amazing story, that I think all women should read.
MoMoBookDiary (20 KP) rated The Date in Books
Oct 1, 2018
MOMOBOOKDIARY highly recommends this exciting new release from the awesome Louise Jensen.
Louise Jensen always writes with such passion it is clear to see the research that has been carried out to ensure the story is told perfectly. I had not heard of the condition that this book focuses on – prosopagnosia – which is known as Face Blindness. The lead character is unable to recognise anyone after a bump on the head. I couldn't begin to imagine how frightening it would be to not recognise anyone around me – or even myself. It is certainly a very intriguing story told from the perspective of the lead character and the person wishing her harm which makes it a tense, gripping read which keeps you guessing until the last page. I read it in two sittings (and lots of tea!).
The Date is a heart pumping read! I loved it have been recommending it to all my friends!
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to official release date. All opinions are my own.
Louise Jensen always writes with such passion it is clear to see the research that has been carried out to ensure the story is told perfectly. I had not heard of the condition that this book focuses on – prosopagnosia – which is known as Face Blindness. The lead character is unable to recognise anyone after a bump on the head. I couldn't begin to imagine how frightening it would be to not recognise anyone around me – or even myself. It is certainly a very intriguing story told from the perspective of the lead character and the person wishing her harm which makes it a tense, gripping read which keeps you guessing until the last page. I read it in two sittings (and lots of tea!).
The Date is a heart pumping read! I loved it have been recommending it to all my friends!
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to official release date. All opinions are my own.
Amberley Yvonne Mackenzie (9 KP) rated American Horror Story - Season 2 in TV
Nov 27, 2018
Gripping tension (2 more)
Flashback to insanity in the 60s
Psychological twists and turns
Lanabananafofana
Welcome to Briarcliff Sanitarium, ran by the Catholic church this Asylum is the last stop for the damaged souls society has decided it doesn't want to save. Lana, our sapphic heroine, wants the scoop of the century, the man behind the mask. Bloodyface. Sentenced to be held in Briarcliff to await trial for the serial killings of Bostonian women. To get to him however, Lana must get through the fearless sister Jude and the devil herself wants to play.
By far one of the top seasons of American Horror Story, Sarah Paulson portrays each character she plays with grace and dignity and Lana is no exception. The cast are incredible, Jessica Lange as Sister Jude cracking the whip, Lily Rabe proving what a talented actress she is playing the split Sister Mary Eunice, Evan Peters as Kit Walker, the misguided fool who really isn't all he seems.
Thrilling from end to end and really worth a watch.
By far one of the top seasons of American Horror Story, Sarah Paulson portrays each character she plays with grace and dignity and Lana is no exception. The cast are incredible, Jessica Lange as Sister Jude cracking the whip, Lily Rabe proving what a talented actress she is playing the split Sister Mary Eunice, Evan Peters as Kit Walker, the misguided fool who really isn't all he seems.
Thrilling from end to end and really worth a watch.
Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated Wizard and Glass - Dark Tower IV in Books
Dec 6, 2018
A good step on the road to the dark tower
I just finished reading this, took a few days, more than I expected. The first 3 dark tower books I couldn't put down and flew through; this one started well, gripping, but in the middle it slowed down and dragged a bit.
We start where we left off in Dark Tower III, it's fairly fast paced until we get a bit of Roland's back story. Whilst I love hearing about what happened to Roland before he met Jake and made a new ka-tet, this story in a story was slow paced and dragged, you were just waiting to get to the good bits.
Once Roland had told his story, there wasn't much left to read. King only moves their journey to the dark tower a little bit. Overall, you do get to know Roland a lot better, which is a good thing. I am still looking forward to reading the next book.
We start where we left off in Dark Tower III, it's fairly fast paced until we get a bit of Roland's back story. Whilst I love hearing about what happened to Roland before he met Jake and made a new ka-tet, this story in a story was slow paced and dragged, you were just waiting to get to the good bits.
Once Roland had told his story, there wasn't much left to read. King only moves their journey to the dark tower a little bit. Overall, you do get to know Roland a lot better, which is a good thing. I am still looking forward to reading the next book.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Three Identical Strangers (2018) in Movies
Dec 6, 2018 (Updated Dec 6, 2018)
Typically arresting so-weird-it-must-be-true documentary from the distributors of Blackfish, Dinosaur 13 and Life Animated. In 1980 a young man from New York arrives at college to be told he is the spitting image of someone who was there the year before: it turns out they were both adopted and share the same birthday - long lost brothers! The publicity turns up a third identical brother. The triplets instantly become minor celebrities on the NYC scene, but darker questions about their story soon surface...
A remarkable story, told by the surviving participants - lighter moments of uplifting human interest are soon subsumed by the stuff of an X-Files episode (well, close enough). You could very well argue that the film's narrative is rather selectively framed for maximum impact, and its attempts to address wider issues such as the question of nature vs nurture aren't really as effective as the story of the triplets. But still a gripping, thought-provoking, rather unsettling story that deserves to be better known.
A remarkable story, told by the surviving participants - lighter moments of uplifting human interest are soon subsumed by the stuff of an X-Files episode (well, close enough). You could very well argue that the film's narrative is rather selectively framed for maximum impact, and its attempts to address wider issues such as the question of nature vs nurture aren't really as effective as the story of the triplets. But still a gripping, thought-provoking, rather unsettling story that deserves to be better known.
A little gem
What a little gem this is - totally gripping, full of atmosphere, tension and general creepiness all set in the stunning but isolated Scottish island of Rum which creates a sense of trepidation all on its own.
This book can be likened to a classic who-dunnit story - a group of people trapped together in an isolated location with a possible murderer amongst them - it's your job to try and work out who it is from the drips of clues amongst the red herrings provided by the author and I have to give Ms Taylor a round of applause because I didn't figure it out until it was right in my face! and, to be honest, that doesn't happen too often.
Excellent characters - some nice, some not so nice - absolutely perfect setting, great story line and ideal pace makes this a great read and one I have little hesitation in recommending to all psychological thriller lovers out there.
A very big thank you to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
This book can be likened to a classic who-dunnit story - a group of people trapped together in an isolated location with a possible murderer amongst them - it's your job to try and work out who it is from the drips of clues amongst the red herrings provided by the author and I have to give Ms Taylor a round of applause because I didn't figure it out until it was right in my face! and, to be honest, that doesn't happen too often.
Excellent characters - some nice, some not so nice - absolutely perfect setting, great story line and ideal pace makes this a great read and one I have little hesitation in recommending to all psychological thriller lovers out there.
A very big thank you to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.