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Ross (3284 KP) rated Just Mercy (2019) in Movies
Jun 15, 2020
Superb legal drama
A very topical film at the moment, telling the true story of a man ending up on death row after a dubious murder trial with negligible evidence weighed up against copious amounts of evidence of his innocence. As usual, it is the story of the police and DA being under pressure to convict someone of the crime and finding an easy target.
Jordan plays young lawyer Bryan Stevenson who moves to Alabama to fight for justice for death row convicts. Among many cases he meets Jonny D (Foxx), who initially refuses to fight any more despite the paper-thin conviction he received. Persuaded, the pair start their fight against the system, met time and time again with prejudice, injustice and an unfair system that is unwilling to review past cases.
The irony of this unfolding in the town that is so proud to have been where Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, the story of a black man facing an unfair trial accused of crime against a young white female, was not lost on me. This wasn't made much of in the film, I would guess out of respect for the family of the actual murder victim here, and not wanting to suggest a parallel with the false crime in the book.
The film does well to portray the racial injustice, unbalanced legal system and prejudice experienced by the authorities and smalltown America, but not overdo it. This leaves the viewer to mull it on their own, which is especially important to do in the current climate.
An excellent film that gets the balance right between story, faithfulness to the facts and sewing thoughts and parallels with modern day life.
Jordan plays young lawyer Bryan Stevenson who moves to Alabama to fight for justice for death row convicts. Among many cases he meets Jonny D (Foxx), who initially refuses to fight any more despite the paper-thin conviction he received. Persuaded, the pair start their fight against the system, met time and time again with prejudice, injustice and an unfair system that is unwilling to review past cases.
The irony of this unfolding in the town that is so proud to have been where Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, the story of a black man facing an unfair trial accused of crime against a young white female, was not lost on me. This wasn't made much of in the film, I would guess out of respect for the family of the actual murder victim here, and not wanting to suggest a parallel with the false crime in the book.
The film does well to portray the racial injustice, unbalanced legal system and prejudice experienced by the authorities and smalltown America, but not overdo it. This leaves the viewer to mull it on their own, which is especially important to do in the current climate.
An excellent film that gets the balance right between story, faithfulness to the facts and sewing thoughts and parallels with modern day life.

Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Staircase in TV
Feb 25, 2021
The massive red writing on the promotional image says it all: Did he do it? In 2001, Michael Peterson was accused of murdering his wife, who was found dead at the bottom of their staircase covered in blood the prosecution said was too much for an accidental fall. But Peterson, supported by most (but not all) of his family maintains his innocence throughout, and the show follows his attempt to prove it. The first 8 episodes of this incredible story were first shown in 2004, before True Crime docs were really a thing, followed by two updates of several episodes in 2013 and then 2018 as the case updated and new evidence came to light.
Of all the docs on this list, this is the one that had me most gripped by the back and forth of the case. I changed my mind so much, almost several times an episode at points, because Peterson himself is both very likeable and very suspicious. There is an opportunity to weigh the evidence for yourself here that a lot of crime series ignore. The balance feels fair, and the case itself is so very fascinating, both from a personal and legal point of view. It plays like a real life soap opera at times, complete with cliff-hangers and teases, as Making a Murderer proved was so effective. To this day, I am not certain of Peterson’s guilt. The only thing I can say is that it was he himself who commissioned the series and allowed the filming of the case. Is that something a guilty man would do to manipulate what we see, or what an innocent man would do when unafraid of the truth? You decide! This would be the one I would recommend to anyone new to the genre, uncertain if this kind of thing is for them.
Of all the docs on this list, this is the one that had me most gripped by the back and forth of the case. I changed my mind so much, almost several times an episode at points, because Peterson himself is both very likeable and very suspicious. There is an opportunity to weigh the evidence for yourself here that a lot of crime series ignore. The balance feels fair, and the case itself is so very fascinating, both from a personal and legal point of view. It plays like a real life soap opera at times, complete with cliff-hangers and teases, as Making a Murderer proved was so effective. To this day, I am not certain of Peterson’s guilt. The only thing I can say is that it was he himself who commissioned the series and allowed the filming of the case. Is that something a guilty man would do to manipulate what we see, or what an innocent man would do when unafraid of the truth? You decide! This would be the one I would recommend to anyone new to the genre, uncertain if this kind of thing is for them.

Blaine Harrison recommended track Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten in Remind Me Tommorow by Sharon Van Etten in Music (curated)

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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Written in Red (The Others, #1) in Books
Aug 26, 2019 (Updated Sep 3, 2019)
Well I thought this one started on a bit of intrigue. Where had Meg come from? What were these scars she had? How had she so new to...life?
I found this really hard to put down, if I'm honest, the story really pulled me in and despite there not being much of a romance, I'll admit I was hooked. I loved the innocence of Meg and her just being really nice to everyone, which equally confused them and made them want to protect her. It was nice seeing them turn from scary "other" beings to almost friendly. Especially with Meg. She became one of them. Part of their family.
Despite its lack of romance--I can't decide if something may happen between Meg and Simon in the future--I enjoyed this. It had a few elements of horror style things in--at the beginning and towards the end some trespassers are eaten alive and then some detailed snow related deaths towards the end--but although I didn't enjoy that bit so much, I forgot about it quickly enough.
I loved how every species of other in the Courtyard had their own little traits. The Crows with the "shiny". The wolves with their "arroooo" greetings. Tess with her living hair. The Hawks and their love of rats and mice. The elementals and their horses.
It was really well thought out and though it was almost 500 kindle pages long, I didn't lose interest once.
I'm interested enough in this group of characters to carry on the series. I even read the excerpt for the next book and it HAS given me hope for something more between Meg and Simon so I will be buying the next book at some point in the future.
I found this really hard to put down, if I'm honest, the story really pulled me in and despite there not being much of a romance, I'll admit I was hooked. I loved the innocence of Meg and her just being really nice to everyone, which equally confused them and made them want to protect her. It was nice seeing them turn from scary "other" beings to almost friendly. Especially with Meg. She became one of them. Part of their family.
Despite its lack of romance--I can't decide if something may happen between Meg and Simon in the future--I enjoyed this. It had a few elements of horror style things in--at the beginning and towards the end some trespassers are eaten alive and then some detailed snow related deaths towards the end--but although I didn't enjoy that bit so much, I forgot about it quickly enough.
I loved how every species of other in the Courtyard had their own little traits. The Crows with the "shiny". The wolves with their "arroooo" greetings. Tess with her living hair. The Hawks and their love of rats and mice. The elementals and their horses.
It was really well thought out and though it was almost 500 kindle pages long, I didn't lose interest once.
I'm interested enough in this group of characters to carry on the series. I even read the excerpt for the next book and it HAS given me hope for something more between Meg and Simon so I will be buying the next book at some point in the future.

Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Omens (Cainsville, #1) in Books
Aug 18, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2021)
Loved it
Contains spoilers, click to show
Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Taylor Jones has the perfect life. The only daughter of a wealthy, prominent Chicago family, she has an Ivy League education, pursues volunteerism and philanthropy, and is engaged to a handsome young tech firm CEO with political ambitions.
But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.
Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.
Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.
This is a reread for me I first read this a couple of years ago. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors and I've read pretty much everything she has written! So I decided to start Cainsville from the beginning.
I remember how I was rooting for Gabrielle from his first appearance. Although Ricky is so hot Gabe has always held my heart. The beginning of their relationship was so rocky but I just loved reliving how great they are working together.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

But Olivia’s world is shattered when she learns that she’s adopted. Her real parents? Todd and Pamela Larsen, notorious serial killers serving a life sentence. When the news brings a maelstrom of unwanted publicity to her adopted family and fiancé, Olivia decides to find out the truth about the Larsens.
Olivia ends up in the small town of Cainsville, Illinois, an old and cloistered community that takes a particular interest in both Olivia and her efforts to uncover her birth parents’ past.
Aided by her mother’s former lawyer, Gabriel Walsh, Olivia focuses on the Larsens’ last crime, the one her birth mother swears will prove their innocence. But as she and Gabriel start investigating the case, Olivia finds herself drawing on abilities that have remained hidden since her childhood, gifts that make her both a valuable addition to Cainsville and deeply vulnerable to unknown enemies. Because there are darker secrets behind her new home and powers lurking in the shadows that have their own plans for her.
This is a reread for me I first read this a couple of years ago. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors and I've read pretty much everything she has written! So I decided to start Cainsville from the beginning.
I remember how I was rooting for Gabrielle from his first appearance. Although Ricky is so hot Gabe has always held my heart. The beginning of their relationship was so rocky but I just loved reliving how great they are working together.
⭐⭐⭐⭐