The Book of Etta
9.0
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In the gripping sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel The Book of the Unnamed Midwife,...
The Invasion of the Tearling
6.0
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With each passing day, Kelsea Glynn is growing into her new responsibilities as Queen of the...
The Napoleon Complex
Book
Napoleon stood before a stormy sky. In his hand was a scroll, and on that scroll were characters....
The Woman in Black: Angel of Death
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This is the fully authorised chilling sequel to Susan Hill's bestselling ghost-story, The Woman in...
My Girl 2 (1996)
6.8
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Movie Watch
Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis and Anna Chlumsky return as the offbeat Sultenfuss family in this...
David McK (3557 KP) rated The Old Guard (2020) in Movies
Jul 14, 2020 (Updated Apr 11, 2021)
Apparently based on a relatively-new comic series, you can also tell that this is a straight-to-TV affair, with it not *quite* having the budget or flair of a Hollywood film. It's also unclear just what happens if any of these immortals lose a limb - does it grow back?
Anyway, the driving force behind this is the discovery of a new immortal, just after the other's last mission goes sideways, with Big Pharma - in a plot development that will surprise no one - now out to see if they can extract the secret of their immortality from the group (who don't know it themselves).
Also definitely set up for a sequel: if it is half as good as this one, I'll be watching.
David McK (3557 KP) rated Dark Prince (Greek Series, #2) in Books
Jul 25, 2020
As the novel starts, Alexander is but a 4 year old and Parmenion is out of favour with Philip of Macedon, who is jealous of the Spartan general's success in battle. Alexander is still plagued by the Chaos Spirit, and - at around the 1/4 mark - is magically transported into an alternate Greece, where the myths and monsters of Greek legend are all real. With a little help from Aristotle and the Siptrassi stones, Parmenion is soon off on a rescue mission, accompanied by Philip's assassin Attalus (without Philips knowledge). The bulk of this novel - parts 2 and 3 (of 4) - then takes place in that alternate Greece, with Parmenion - again - reliving his past and playing a key role in proceedings, before it returns to 'our' Greece for the final part of the novel.
As is standard for Gemmell, lots of musing on the nature of Good and evil throughout, and with a conflicted central protagonist.
Scandinavian Classic Desserts
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Indulge in a taste of Scandinavian culinary delights with this delectable sequel to Scandinavian...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Jigsaw Man in Books
Feb 21, 2021
I must say though that if you're a bit squeamish and don't like graphic descriptions of murder, then don't read this. If you do or don't mind a bit of gore, then crack on.
The characters are great, the plot is absorbing and complex and the ability of the author to capture the feelings of the various protagonists is excellent.
I absolutely love a good "baddie" and Nadine Matheson has created one such character in Peter Olivier; he is deliciously evil, extremely charming, highly intelligent, an excellent manipulator and everything you would want in a (fictitious) serial killer ... think Ted Bundy crossed with Jeffrey Dahmer and you have a pretty good picture.
This is a gripping read which although starts a little slow, it builds in tension and action as you turn the pages culminating in an exciting finale which definitely leaves the door open for a sequel and the intriguing backstory lends itself to a prequel ... well I would certainly read either or both!
Thank you to HQ (an imprint of HarperCollins UK) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Drag Me to Hell (2009) in Movies
Mar 12, 2021
The cheesiness isn't a complete positive however. In terms of dialogue, it can take you out of the story a bit. Lead Alison Lohman and co star Justin Long (both actors who I like) suffer from this a bit, and are occasionally comical in a movie that plays it straight for the most part.
Some of the effects are a little iffy as well. There's some good practical stuff going on but a few digital effects are dodgy. It's not enough to severely impact anything, and there a few decent jump scares scattered throughout.
It's a perfectly fine slice of horror, that is elevated by a ballsy as fuck ending, that makes Drag Me to Hell a film worth revisiting now and again. Would love to see a sequel someday!