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Michael Barker recommended The Killers (1964) in Movies (curated)

 
The Killers (1964)
The Killers (1964)
1964 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Ernest Hemingway’s superb eight-page short story is the jumping-off point and inspiration for these two essential and very different movies (Stacy Keach reads the story magnificently in one of the DVD extras). I don’t understand why more people don’t know the 1946 Siodmak film. For my money, this is not only the best noir movie of all time but is just about my favorite Hollywood drama from the 1940s. The complex narrative structure begins as a jumbled Rubik’s Cube, and, slowly but surely, each piece falls into its precise place by movie’s end (the stuff Quentin Tarantino’s dreams are made of). The moody atmosphere provided by Siodmak and his technicians is a marvel. The cinematic execution of a heist has never been better. Here marks the birth of two glorious stars: Burt Lancaster (a beautiful caged animal, all teeth) and Ava Gardner (wow). Paul Schrader’s seminal essay on film noir, as a DVD extra, is invaluable. For those of you who wonder why Siegel’s 1964 violent, stylish, quirkily entertaining B version (the first TV movie ever made) is on this list, I have two words for you: Lee Marvin. There has never been a star like him before or since. Words simply cannot do justice to the magic of this guy—the timbre of his voice, the calm, paranoid, roughneck danger in his physical moves. In a spectacular extra on this DVD, fellow actor Clu Gulager gives a very moving (and, one feels while watching it, very truthful) account of working with Marvin, Siegel, and Ronald Reagan (who hated the movie—yet another reason to see it!)."

Source
  
21st Birthday
21st Birthday
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro | 2021 | Mystery
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Needed Some Careful Editing to be Good
It all starts with a woman confronting Cindy Thomas in her office at the San Francisco Chronicle. The woman is certain that something bad has happened to her daughter and granddaughter, and her son-in-law is to blame. She wants Cindy to write stories about it and post about it on her blog, but Cindy quickly turns the woman over to her friend, San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer, who pushes the police to start an investigation and make it a priority. Sadly, it isn’t long before a dead body turns up. Will Lindsay and the rest of the Women’s Murder Club figure out what is really happening?

Usually with this series, I complain about the characters having plotlines that rarely if ever intersect. Here, I was thrilled to see that the characters, including Claire and Yuki, are working together on one case, and they all get their moments to shine. While the characters are a bit thin, we did like them all and care enough to keep reading. The plot is compelling with twists that intrigue. However, the authors can’t land it. I get what we are supposed to think happened, but in the rush to wrap things up after the final twist, we don’t get a major plot point from earlier in the book explained. Meanwhile, the editing was sloppy, including students at a high school being in class on a Saturday, missing days, and Lindsay being in two places at once near the end of the book. This reads more like a first draft that needed an editor to help polish it up instead of a finished novel.
  
Below Dark Waters (Dalya #2)
Below Dark Waters (Dalya #2)
Katie Zaber | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Below Dark Waters is the second book in the Dalya series and it really should be read in order or it just won't make sense!

Megan and the rest are making their way away from Capo and hopefully Megan's murderous father. They are a ragtag crew but fit together although cracks are showing in Sarah. Megan is having a rough time of it and isn't sleeping, giving the others concern about her. She is changing more each day, becoming stronger and more fae-like.

Oh wow! This book has just as much going for it as the first! This time, it is told from the points of view - Megan, Lilly, and Carmia. Three very different women with very different experiences. I can't wait to see how they tie together.

One thing I love about Katie Zaber is even when she writes a scene where you expect someone to be nice, she manages to turn it around and throw Megan to the wolves and you don't even blink! She continually surprises me and, for someone who reads as much as I do, that is fantastic.

I loved how the story still involves all the characters from book one although I would have enjoyed more time with Mana but that's just me. 😁 It is getting more intriguing the more I read and I really can't wait to continue this series.

Absolutely and completely recommended by me!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!