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A Patch Of Fog (2017)
A Patch Of Fog (2017)
2017 | International, Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: A Patch of Fog starts as we meet successful author and television presenter Sandy Duffy (Hill) that would like to return to the quiet life only to find himself caught shoplifting by security guard Robert (Graham). In an attempt to keep the story out of the papers tries to bribe Robert, who turns the tables on Sandy by blackmailing him into being his friend.

As Sandy tries to get himself out of the blackmail, he learns that Robert has a much darker side which puts his and his girlfriend, presenter Lucy (Pulver) lives at risk.

 

Thoughts on A Patch of Fog

 

Characters – Robert is mild mannered security guard in a general store, he is a lonely figure that takes advantage of the situation of power once he catches acclaimed author stealing in his store. He blackmails Sandy into being his friend and tries to stay one step ahead of him as he tries his best to escape from position. Sandy is the acclaimed author that has become a celebrity on television, though he wants to take a step away from the spotlight and the endless conversations about his book, A Patch of Fog. He tries his best to outsmart Robert though he can only get so far before learning Robert has everything planned out. Lucy is the television presenter just starting a relationship with Sandy, she has been trying to get the interview together for long time now.

Performances – Stephen Graham in the leading role as the slightly unhinged loner works very well, he shows that given the chance the moments of darkness can shine through. Conleth Hill is great in his role as the author that wants out of the limelight. When it comes to the rest of the cast they are fine without being overly involved in the main story.

Story – The story follows an author and celebrity being blackmailed by a security guard that catches him stealing. The story does come down to a cat-n-mouse style thriller where each character tries to stay ahead of the other, which brings twists along the way. This is a style of story telling we have seen before and it is one that is always interesting to watch unfold, by having both sides having secrets this does make it feel like one of the better ones too.

Thriller – This is a film that does keep you on the edge of your seat throughout as we wait to see just where things will go next.

Settings – The film does show the different lives both Robert and Sandy live, one with success, one with loneliness, though most of the scenes try to take place in everyday locations.


Scene of the Movie – The truth about A Patch of Fog.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not truly knowing is Robert has done this before or whether something made him snap.

Final Thoughts – This is a by the books blackmailing movie, it does keep you guessing throughout the film and with the two leads shining we did just want to see more.

 

Overall: By the book stalker thriller.

https://moviesreview101.com/2019/03/05/a-patch-of-fog-2015/
  
The Sixth Man (King & Maxwell, #5)
The Sixth Man (King & Maxwell, #5)
David Baldacci | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first of the Michelle Maxwell & Sean King series that I have read. I'm not normally someone who picks up a book from the middle of series...I like to read all the way through starting at book 1. However, not knowing any of the "back story" didn't harm my enjoyment of this book at all.
The premise of the book is very cloak & dagger stuff...Dept of Homeland Security, Cabinet memebers, federal prisoners, etc. There were a few places in the book that dragged a bit, but all in all it was a page turner from the outset. Maxwell & King are dynamic lead characters with more twists & turns than you can imagine. There is also a strong chemistry/attraction between them. Baldacci does a great job of putting that aspect out there without making it too sappy, something I hate in spy/action novels.
All told I really look forward to reading more books in this series, even if it means I have to read them out of order!
  
MH
My Heart and Soul
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Randall has done something scary and risky: She has taken her interior monologue, her thoughts, her hopes and dreams, insecurities, fears, loves and hates, and written them out into long picturesque poems for the world to see. I know I could never expose myself the way she has… It was encouraging to read her works, to get inside her head. It was uplifting to see the trust and the security she has in God, and encouraging to know that there are people out there who feel like you do. She wrote about painful subjects like cancer, doubt, death, but also had some more touchy subjects like fear of never being loved again, racism, and sex—though she did it all in a way that doesn't feel uncomfortable.

I greatly enjoyed these poems, and have found myself flipping through the pages on several occasions, just re-experiencing the things she has to say and the experiences she has to share. My Heart and Soul is well worth the buy.
  
15th Affair
15th Affair
James Patterson | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
4
8.8 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
SFPD detective Lindsay Boxer is called to a hotel where three people have been murdered in two rooms while the security cameras malfunctioned. It’s seeming like a fairly normal case until she begins to learn who the victims were. And until her husband Joe crosses the radar as a person of interest in the case. Only Joe has vanished. What is going on?

I’ve been wanting the women in this series to work on a big case again, which they do here. Unfortunately, Yuki is lucky to get a cameo, and Clair and Cindy provide a clue each and are sidelined for the rest of the book. To make matters worse, Lindsay blows everything with Joe out of proportion and comes off looking very immature and childish as a result. The cliffhanger from the previous book is ignored while this book stops with another cliffhanger. And I do use the word stop on purpose. At least the mystery was decent.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-review-15th-affair-by-james.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
LB
Lost Beneath Manhattan
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ricky Kidd’s class trip to New York City turns into a disaster when he has to take his six-year-old brother with him. Joel is always disappearing, even at home, so Ricky is worried that Joel will do that on the trip. When an encounter with a security guard at a museum frightens him, Joel takes off, and Ricky begins to search for him. Where will the search lead him?

Author Sigmund Brower does a good job of making the premise believable. Of course, it doesn’t take much in a middle grade series for readers to root for the main characters to solve the crime. The book takes a little while to take off, but once it does, it never lets go until we reach the climax. The characters are a lot of fun; they get a lot of personality for a short book. Ricky wondering how God can allow suffering adds some depth to an already solid story.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/09/book-review-lost-beneath-manhattan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Merissa (11805 KP) rated Stalker in Books

Jun 15, 2018  
Stalker
Stalker
Lisa Stone | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
10
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stalker by Lisa Stone
Stalker is the first book by Lisa Stone I have read, but I can guarantee it won't be the last. The premise of this book is simple enough - a Home Security man who gives his clients that little bit more, even though they don't know about it.

This was a well-paced novel, with plenty of action and suspense to guarantee you keep turning the pages. The scary part of this book is that it is all so simple, and in this day and age, so many options. There were parts that I knew were coming, however that didn't detract from the story in any way. There were still so many questions that needed answering.

With well-defined characters and situations, I found Stalker to be excellently written, with no editing or grammatical errors that jolted me out of the story. Absolutely recommended by me!

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Turning Forty
Turning Forty
Mike Gayle | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good plot and easy to read (0 more)
Maybe too easy (0 more)
Typical Mike Gayle
I loved this book. Written in a first person point of view, the reader counts down the days with Matt, until his 40th birthday. The beginning of the novel see's Matt in his expensive house, admiring his new shed paid for by his high flying job. This false sense of security is short lived and the reader watches as the protagonist's life falls apart.

For me, this novel is all about the character's; Ginny, the back up plan, Gerry, the ex music idol and now charity shop manager, Rosa, the too young and too controlling girlfriend, and many many, more. These characters are believable and cringe worthy at the same time.
I think the most refreshing thing about the novel, however, is the ending. All the way through the story I held out hope for Matt, and the ending, although not exactly a fairytale ending, was realistic.

I love Mike Gayle's work, easy to read, believable, funny and sad, a real look at the idiosyncrasies of people.
  
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Dean (6925 KP) rated Quantico - Season 2 in TV

Aug 11, 2019  
Quantico  - Season 2
Quantico - Season 2
2016 | Mystery
1st half of the series (0 more)
Ending on a wimper (0 more)
A series of two halves
I loved the first series of Quantico so naturally looked forward to this. The first half of the series is similar to the first series. This time set at the CIA training school as they learn how to be an agent. Often going back and forth in time to present day. This time their is a convulted plot about a rogue group of agents working in the security service. Along with trying to find out who they are and what they want. I had quite a gap between watching the first and second half of the series. But the second half changes direction completely with a focus on some conspirators trying to bring around a far right takeover of government. Unfortunately it just became a bit of a slog to finish the series at 22 episodes. The first half was interesting but it got over complicated later on. The ending was very disappointing as well.
  
Vice (2015)
Vice (2015)
2015 | Action, Sci-Fi
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Hm
Contains spoilers, click to show
Ok. So while this movie was definitely entertaining, it had a lot of flaws that brought any believability down. The film work and acting were good and the stori was definitely an interesting concept. But things like trained guards not being able to hit the broad side of a barn with their weapons(except to kill an innocent bystander) but the protagonist can't miss? Or the fact that the "programmers" of the AI people didn't include a fail safe in case one got out of their high security facility to shut down or something? Also, the Robocop-esque scene where the AI can't hurt the head of the company(THAT fail safe was included)was predictable, as was the final scene. Not to mention it made for a bit of a weak ending. Anyway, all that being said, the movie was enjoyable enough ti watch through to the end and played out well. It also posed some interesting questions as to the morality side of technology use by us humans. Overall this one is worth a watch.
  
The Avengers - Season 5
The Avengers - Season 5
1967 | Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller
The Avengers' fifth season opens with a fabricated alien invasion and concludes with a shrink-gun, and while the odd more serious and down-to-earth episode sneaks in, this sort of sums up the scope of the series at this point: a mixture of B-movie sci-fi, extravagant whimsy, and knowing wit. As in the previous year, dapper security operative John Steed is assisted in his investigations by Mrs Emma Peel.

However, not quite up to the standard of the previous year - the show now seems pitched towards the American networks, hence the move to rather garish colour, and it's often much more knockabout as a result. The fact that most of the episodes are written by either Philip Levene or Brian Clemens also results in a certain reliance on formula - the show even resorts to remaking some of the earlier videotaped stories to avoid having to come up with brand new scripts. However, episodes like The Hidden Tiger and Epic still stand up as well as anything in the run of the series.