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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Local Woman Missing in Books
Jul 28, 2021
I had been after a good thriller for awhile, when I read about Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, my interest was piqued very much. I will say that this book certainly filled that thriller sized hole for sure!
As soon as I started reading Local Woman Missing, I was instantly transported inside the book. I kept trying to piece together what happened to Shelby, Delilah, and Meredith just to find out I was totally wrong each time. That's one of the beautiful things about this book, there are so many twists and turns! I loved all the plot twists which there were plenty. Just when it looked like one mystery was solved, the author would through in a twist. I loved how Mary Kubica had us going back and forth between present time to eleven years earlier when Meredith, Shelby, and Delilah all went missing. The world building is done fantastically, and the pacing is spot on. I found myself frantically reading each page to try to guess what would happen. I did like the way all the loose endings were tied up by the ending. There's nothing left to speculate which was a big plus in my book as I hate guessing what happened to each character. I like being told exactly what happens, and Kubica did just so.
I absolutely adored how each character was written. I could imagine each and every character in my mind. It was like I was right in the midst of the action with them. It was easy to imagine Meredith's husband Josh's panic when his wife and 6 year old daughter went missing. As a mother of a 6 year old myself, I think I would just go crazy! I could also feel Meredith's pain when things started to really go wrong for her. I really just wanted to be a friend to her because she seemed really sweet and down to Earth. Bea and Kate were two of my favorite characters. I thought they had such a great relationship, and I thought they were really great people for being so helping and warm towards everyone when things when Meredith and Delilah went missing. I enjoyed reading things from Kate's point of view to piece together everything that was going on after Meredith and Delilah went missing. Reading Leo's point of view was the most interesting for me. It was eye opening to see how having his sister and mom missing affected him. I really wanted to adopt little Leo as my own because reading what he endured really broke my heart at times.
Trigger warnings for Local Woman Missing include profanity, cheating on spouses, child abuse, kidnapping, violence, death, mentions of suicide, and drunk driving.
All in all, Local Woman Missing checks all the boxes to be a successful thriller such as a fascinating plot with a plethora of twists at turns throughout. I would definitely recommend Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica to those aged 18+ who love to expect the unexpected. This book will not leave you disappointed one bit.
As soon as I started reading Local Woman Missing, I was instantly transported inside the book. I kept trying to piece together what happened to Shelby, Delilah, and Meredith just to find out I was totally wrong each time. That's one of the beautiful things about this book, there are so many twists and turns! I loved all the plot twists which there were plenty. Just when it looked like one mystery was solved, the author would through in a twist. I loved how Mary Kubica had us going back and forth between present time to eleven years earlier when Meredith, Shelby, and Delilah all went missing. The world building is done fantastically, and the pacing is spot on. I found myself frantically reading each page to try to guess what would happen. I did like the way all the loose endings were tied up by the ending. There's nothing left to speculate which was a big plus in my book as I hate guessing what happened to each character. I like being told exactly what happens, and Kubica did just so.
I absolutely adored how each character was written. I could imagine each and every character in my mind. It was like I was right in the midst of the action with them. It was easy to imagine Meredith's husband Josh's panic when his wife and 6 year old daughter went missing. As a mother of a 6 year old myself, I think I would just go crazy! I could also feel Meredith's pain when things started to really go wrong for her. I really just wanted to be a friend to her because she seemed really sweet and down to Earth. Bea and Kate were two of my favorite characters. I thought they had such a great relationship, and I thought they were really great people for being so helping and warm towards everyone when things when Meredith and Delilah went missing. I enjoyed reading things from Kate's point of view to piece together everything that was going on after Meredith and Delilah went missing. Reading Leo's point of view was the most interesting for me. It was eye opening to see how having his sister and mom missing affected him. I really wanted to adopt little Leo as my own because reading what he endured really broke my heart at times.
Trigger warnings for Local Woman Missing include profanity, cheating on spouses, child abuse, kidnapping, violence, death, mentions of suicide, and drunk driving.
All in all, Local Woman Missing checks all the boxes to be a successful thriller such as a fascinating plot with a plethora of twists at turns throughout. I would definitely recommend Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica to those aged 18+ who love to expect the unexpected. This book will not leave you disappointed one bit.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Made You Up in Books
Jun 22, 2021
I'm big into books that deal with mental illnesses. When I heard about Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, I knew it was a book that was right up my alley. I was not left feeling disappointed.
The plot and world building felt very realistic although I'm not Schizophrenic nor do I know anyone who is. I could not tell what was real and what was a delusion by Alex. Kudos to Zappia for giving us a brief glimpse into how a Schizophrenic would feel. I kept second guessing myself throughout Made You Up. Sometimes it would be obvious that Alex was hallucinating, but there were many times everything felt too real to be a hallucination. I would be wrong, and something realistic would be a hallucination. As you can imagine, there were many plot twists throughout this book. There was one major plot twist which I had predicted towards the beginning which turned out to be true thanks to subtle hints the author would throw in, so be sure to be attention to every word on the page to try to grasp what is Alex's reality and what is not. I did feel like the main storyline of Made You Up was whether or not Miles, the boy Alex met briefly when she was a young child, was actually real or not since she meets him again her senior year of high school. It was fun trying to guess if Miles was real or not and if he was the same boy Alex met as a child.
All of the characters in Made You Up had a lot of depth to them. They were all easy for me to imagine as real people instead of characters in a book. I enjoyed reading about Alex and her thought process and what all she had to go through all the time due to her Schizophrenia. Alex, like all the characters in this book, was a very likable character. Miles was interesting. I didn't really know what to make of him throughout the book (mainly because I was trying to figure out if he was real or imaginary). I did enjoy him, and I was definitely intrigued by his back story. It was great learning about him. I loved little Charlie and how much she seemed to love her big sister, Alex. Alex loved Charlie so much as well, and I loved reading about the tight sisterly bond between them.
Trigger warnings for Made You Up include some profanity, some violence, death, minor gore, some child abuse, mental illness, a minor sexual situation, bullying, references to Nazis, attempted murder, and death.
All in all, Made You Up is a very interesting read with a fantastic plot and well developed characters. It's obvious the author did her homework before writing this novel. I would definitely recommend Made You Up by Francesca Zappia to those aged 16+ who are seeking a book full of twists and turns. Just be warned that this book will have you second guessing almost everything (which isn't a bad thing).
The plot and world building felt very realistic although I'm not Schizophrenic nor do I know anyone who is. I could not tell what was real and what was a delusion by Alex. Kudos to Zappia for giving us a brief glimpse into how a Schizophrenic would feel. I kept second guessing myself throughout Made You Up. Sometimes it would be obvious that Alex was hallucinating, but there were many times everything felt too real to be a hallucination. I would be wrong, and something realistic would be a hallucination. As you can imagine, there were many plot twists throughout this book. There was one major plot twist which I had predicted towards the beginning which turned out to be true thanks to subtle hints the author would throw in, so be sure to be attention to every word on the page to try to grasp what is Alex's reality and what is not. I did feel like the main storyline of Made You Up was whether or not Miles, the boy Alex met briefly when she was a young child, was actually real or not since she meets him again her senior year of high school. It was fun trying to guess if Miles was real or not and if he was the same boy Alex met as a child.
All of the characters in Made You Up had a lot of depth to them. They were all easy for me to imagine as real people instead of characters in a book. I enjoyed reading about Alex and her thought process and what all she had to go through all the time due to her Schizophrenia. Alex, like all the characters in this book, was a very likable character. Miles was interesting. I didn't really know what to make of him throughout the book (mainly because I was trying to figure out if he was real or imaginary). I did enjoy him, and I was definitely intrigued by his back story. It was great learning about him. I loved little Charlie and how much she seemed to love her big sister, Alex. Alex loved Charlie so much as well, and I loved reading about the tight sisterly bond between them.
Trigger warnings for Made You Up include some profanity, some violence, death, minor gore, some child abuse, mental illness, a minor sexual situation, bullying, references to Nazis, attempted murder, and death.
All in all, Made You Up is a very interesting read with a fantastic plot and well developed characters. It's obvious the author did her homework before writing this novel. I would definitely recommend Made You Up by Francesca Zappia to those aged 16+ who are seeking a book full of twists and turns. Just be warned that this book will have you second guessing almost everything (which isn't a bad thing).
Natasha Khan recommended Bad by Michael Jackson in Music (curated)
Lee (2222 KP) rated Supernova (2020) in Movies
Oct 12, 2020
When I first saw the trailer for Supernova, I could tell that we were in for a fairly intense depiction of dementia and its effect on loved ones, delivered by a couple of veteran actors at the top of their game. Consequently, it was one of the movies I was most looking forward to as part of this years London Film Festival, and while it wasn’t quite as full-on or emotional for me as I was expecting, that’s certainly not the fault of Colin Firth or Stanley Tucci, who are both outstanding.
“We’re not going back, you know,” Sam (Firth) says to husband Tusker (Tucci) as they head off in their campervan for a road trip. He’s referring to any items they might have needed for the trip which are left behind, but those words will prove to hold a much deeper meaning as their journey progresses. Tusker, a best-selling author, has deliberately left his medication at home, having decided that it is having no effect in his battle with dementia. When Sam leaves Tusker in the van to head into a supermarket for supplies, he returns to find Tusker missing - a frantic drive down nearby country lanes finds him standing alone, lost and confused. His mind is clearly beginning to fail him.
As they put the incident behind them and continue their journey, we get a real sense of the love and commitment they both share. As they travel through the beautiful scenery of the Lake District, they bicker and joke with each other, like a gay version of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon series, The Trip. “It isn’t even satisfying half the time,” Tusker admits after teasing Sam. When asked why he bothers anymore, he just smiles and replies “Because of the other half.”
Tusker continues to work on a new novel, but is finding it increasingly difficult to write anymore and has instead become preoccupied with gazing at the night sky, fascinated with astronomy. Sam, a semi-retired concert pianist, has taken a break to join Tusker on one last road-trip, revisiting locations from their lives together. They stop off at the home of Sam’s sister and her family, where a surprise birthday party brings together old friends and distant family. A chance to reminisce and take stock of what the future holds as Tusker continues to deteriorate. But a discovery during the party leads to some more serious discussions between Sam and Tusker, forcing them to acknowledge and attempt to come to terms with what lies ahead for them both.
Supernova didn’t head in the direction I expected it to, or deliver it in the way I envisioned from the trailer. For the most part, it’s just simple conversations between two lovers, sometimes playful, sometimes deadly serious. But it is delivered by two incredible actors, on peak-form and with such wonderful chemistry. And while it didn’t quite leave me feeling as emotional as it did for many others who watched it as part of the festival, it certainly managed to make a lasting impact.
“We’re not going back, you know,” Sam (Firth) says to husband Tusker (Tucci) as they head off in their campervan for a road trip. He’s referring to any items they might have needed for the trip which are left behind, but those words will prove to hold a much deeper meaning as their journey progresses. Tusker, a best-selling author, has deliberately left his medication at home, having decided that it is having no effect in his battle with dementia. When Sam leaves Tusker in the van to head into a supermarket for supplies, he returns to find Tusker missing - a frantic drive down nearby country lanes finds him standing alone, lost and confused. His mind is clearly beginning to fail him.
As they put the incident behind them and continue their journey, we get a real sense of the love and commitment they both share. As they travel through the beautiful scenery of the Lake District, they bicker and joke with each other, like a gay version of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon series, The Trip. “It isn’t even satisfying half the time,” Tusker admits after teasing Sam. When asked why he bothers anymore, he just smiles and replies “Because of the other half.”
Tusker continues to work on a new novel, but is finding it increasingly difficult to write anymore and has instead become preoccupied with gazing at the night sky, fascinated with astronomy. Sam, a semi-retired concert pianist, has taken a break to join Tusker on one last road-trip, revisiting locations from their lives together. They stop off at the home of Sam’s sister and her family, where a surprise birthday party brings together old friends and distant family. A chance to reminisce and take stock of what the future holds as Tusker continues to deteriorate. But a discovery during the party leads to some more serious discussions between Sam and Tusker, forcing them to acknowledge and attempt to come to terms with what lies ahead for them both.
Supernova didn’t head in the direction I expected it to, or deliver it in the way I envisioned from the trailer. For the most part, it’s just simple conversations between two lovers, sometimes playful, sometimes deadly serious. But it is delivered by two incredible actors, on peak-form and with such wonderful chemistry. And while it didn’t quite leave me feeling as emotional as it did for many others who watched it as part of the festival, it certainly managed to make a lasting impact.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Logan Lucky (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) just got fired from his job and found out that his ex-wife is moving his daughter to another state. He lives for his daughter and needs to get money fast to pay for a lawyer to fight the move. He decides that the best way to get this fast cash is to rob his previous employer, the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He enlist the help of his brother Clyde Logan (Adam Driver), his fast driving sister Millie Logan (Riley Keough), and explosives expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig). Together they hatch a plan to rob the cash vault under the NASCAR track during the biggest race of the year. It won’t be easy for the crew as they must overcome many obstacles along the way. For one they only one of them who can blow the massive safe, Bang, is currently in prison. Bang also insists that his two inept brothers be included in the heist. There is also the matter of a large private police force patrolling the track. But the biggest hurdle may be the Logan family curse. Something bad is seemingly always happening to the family. Jimmy was destine to go to the NFL before a freak accident ruined his knee and ended his football career. Clyde was on his way back home from deployment in the Army and was hit by a roadside bomb and lost his arm. If they can overcome all of this they can walk away with a fortune.
This Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13) directed film is a fun and fast paced heist film. It definitely fits into the Ocean’s film model, with a large cast, twists that keep the audience guessing and well thought out ending. This films stands apart from those by being more hillbilly than the sleek well put together Ocean’s crew. The film dialog is well done and written expertly by Rebecca Blunt, this is the first screen writing credit for Rebecca. There are plenty of cameos by West Virginia Natives, NASCAR drivers and commentators, and others. I had heard beforehand that there were several cameos and made for a fun exercise in spotting the NASCAR drivers in various roles. The ensemble cast is stellar led by Tatum, Driver and Craig. The cast includes fun performances by a barely recognizable Seth MacFarlane along with Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank. There were times thought that the various accents that the cast were attempting to use felt forced and/or missing from particular scenes. The pace of the film is good but does get a little slow during the heist set up and the two hour run time was a tad too long for me.
Overall this is a fun film that fits the heist movie genre perfectly. One news report in the film characterized the robbery as Ocean’s 7/11 and that pretty well sums up the film. The characters are original and if you are a fan of these types of movies you will not be disappointed.
This Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 13) directed film is a fun and fast paced heist film. It definitely fits into the Ocean’s film model, with a large cast, twists that keep the audience guessing and well thought out ending. This films stands apart from those by being more hillbilly than the sleek well put together Ocean’s crew. The film dialog is well done and written expertly by Rebecca Blunt, this is the first screen writing credit for Rebecca. There are plenty of cameos by West Virginia Natives, NASCAR drivers and commentators, and others. I had heard beforehand that there were several cameos and made for a fun exercise in spotting the NASCAR drivers in various roles. The ensemble cast is stellar led by Tatum, Driver and Craig. The cast includes fun performances by a barely recognizable Seth MacFarlane along with Dwight Yoakam, Katie Holmes, and Hilary Swank. There were times thought that the various accents that the cast were attempting to use felt forced and/or missing from particular scenes. The pace of the film is good but does get a little slow during the heist set up and the two hour run time was a tad too long for me.
Overall this is a fun film that fits the heist movie genre perfectly. One news report in the film characterized the robbery as Ocean’s 7/11 and that pretty well sums up the film. The characters are original and if you are a fan of these types of movies you will not be disappointed.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Haunting in Connecticut: 2 Ghosts of Georgia (2013) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Characters – Lisa is the wife and mother of the family, she does have an ability to see spirits with her mother helping her through these experiences. In her new home she starts to see more spirits that has trying to send her messages and must use her skills to figure out how to save her child. Andy is the husband and father, he is the only one that doesn’t have the ability to see the spirits which shows him taking on the situation as if there would need to be a logical reason behind it all. Heidi is the daughter of the family, that can also see the spirits and it is her visits which guide us to where the story goes this time, she is encouraged by her Auntie and discouraged by her mum. Joyce is the free-spirited Auntie that joins the family, she tries to embrace the idea of the spirits needing help and will guide Heide unlike her sister.
Performances – This is a sequel with no returning cast members, no connection to the original, so the cast is brand new. We do have a couple of known actors from television, Abigail Spencer, Chad Michael Murray and Katee Sackhoff, they do what they can with the material, but the poor decisions they are forced to make doesn’t help. Emily Alyn Lind does well for a child star put in horror situation.
Story – The story is based on real events or sold on this idea anyway. We have the events of the story taking place over short amount of time, as we see how everything seems to escalate, which is fine for a horror story. the idea the sisters and daughter can see spirits naturally is a good spin on the idea where only one can usually see the ghosts. The problems do some into this too as the one person who can’t see the spirits still sees them and most of the decisions being made are poor throughout. For the mystery behind everything it does keep us interested throughout and does give us shocks along the way.
Horror/Mystery – When it comes to the horror in this film we get plenty of the normal jump scares, most of which just play out like you would imagine, the casual fan will jump along the way. The highlight is the mystery behind what is causing the hauntings because history is always filled with surprises.
Settings – The setting for the film is good because it is an old house that is bound to be filled with history that could be a terrifying as what we learn as the film unfolds.
Special Effects – The effects in this film are mixed because the way the flashbacks are shot does look do and feels different to current events, the negatives come from how the injuries can look while inflicted to the modern characters.
Scene of the Movie – Cut the cord.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The moments Andy saw a ghost.
Final Thoughts – This is a solid enough sequel even though it has no connection to the actual first film, it does have smart ideas but terrible character decisions.
Overall: Horror fans should enjoy.
Performances – This is a sequel with no returning cast members, no connection to the original, so the cast is brand new. We do have a couple of known actors from television, Abigail Spencer, Chad Michael Murray and Katee Sackhoff, they do what they can with the material, but the poor decisions they are forced to make doesn’t help. Emily Alyn Lind does well for a child star put in horror situation.
Story – The story is based on real events or sold on this idea anyway. We have the events of the story taking place over short amount of time, as we see how everything seems to escalate, which is fine for a horror story. the idea the sisters and daughter can see spirits naturally is a good spin on the idea where only one can usually see the ghosts. The problems do some into this too as the one person who can’t see the spirits still sees them and most of the decisions being made are poor throughout. For the mystery behind everything it does keep us interested throughout and does give us shocks along the way.
Horror/Mystery – When it comes to the horror in this film we get plenty of the normal jump scares, most of which just play out like you would imagine, the casual fan will jump along the way. The highlight is the mystery behind what is causing the hauntings because history is always filled with surprises.
Settings – The setting for the film is good because it is an old house that is bound to be filled with history that could be a terrifying as what we learn as the film unfolds.
Special Effects – The effects in this film are mixed because the way the flashbacks are shot does look do and feels different to current events, the negatives come from how the injuries can look while inflicted to the modern characters.
Scene of the Movie – Cut the cord.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The moments Andy saw a ghost.
Final Thoughts – This is a solid enough sequel even though it has no connection to the actual first film, it does have smart ideas but terrible character decisions.
Overall: Horror fans should enjoy.
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Ronyell (38 KP) rated Monkeybone (2001) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Get Boned With Monkeybone!
I had watched almost all the movies directed by Henry Selick at this point and I had enjoyed almost all of them! However, "Monkeybone" was that one case that I could have enjoyed it much better if the plot and the characters were handled a bit better, but I'll get into that later. What I did like about this movie was the fact that the world of Downtown was so creative to look at as all the characters look like they came out of various mythologies and fantasy works and seeing them interact with each other was brilliant to see! I also loved how all the actors and actresses in this film gave their all by acting so hammy yet convincing towards the audience in detailing the characters' plight throughout this movie. Probably the actors and actresses in this film that I really enjoyed their performances were Whoopi Goldberg and Brendan Fraser as they really made their characters truly stand out in this film! I loved the way that Brendan Fraser was able to balance between being hammy and being emotional as Stu Miley and it really made me get into Stu's predicament of trying to confess his love towards Julie and try to find his way out of Downtown so he could tell Julie he loves her. Whoopi Goldberg was also fantastic as Death as she made Death into a truly hilarious and sympathetic character and I really liked the relationship she develops with Stu. I also loved the fact that Stu truly does care about Julie and is willing to do anything to get back to her and confess his love to her.
Some problems that I had with this film was that I felt that the story could have been much better if the characters and the story were developed better. Now, I did look at the deleted scenes for this movie and I realized that the creative team were forced to cut out a lot of parts to help this film retain a PG-13 rating, but in doing that, they cut out a lot of parts that were essential to the plot of the story, even if they probably wouldn't make the movie any better than it is. I would have liked this movie better if we actually got to know more about the characters themselves, especially about the pact between Stu and his sister Kimmy where Kimmy will pull the plug on Stu if Stu goes into a coma, which the movie failed to go into more detail about. Also, there were times where the movie was forcing in crude humor where they didn't need to be and it made viewing this movie a bit awkward since one moment I would be enjoying the story of the film and then the next moment, they introduce a crude moment that involves toilet humor that kind of ruins the scenes for me.
Overall, while "Monkeybone" does have a lot of creative moments, especially during the Downtown sequences, the movie suffers from lack of character development that makes viewing this movie a bit hard at times.
Some problems that I had with this film was that I felt that the story could have been much better if the characters and the story were developed better. Now, I did look at the deleted scenes for this movie and I realized that the creative team were forced to cut out a lot of parts to help this film retain a PG-13 rating, but in doing that, they cut out a lot of parts that were essential to the plot of the story, even if they probably wouldn't make the movie any better than it is. I would have liked this movie better if we actually got to know more about the characters themselves, especially about the pact between Stu and his sister Kimmy where Kimmy will pull the plug on Stu if Stu goes into a coma, which the movie failed to go into more detail about. Also, there were times where the movie was forcing in crude humor where they didn't need to be and it made viewing this movie a bit awkward since one moment I would be enjoying the story of the film and then the next moment, they introduce a crude moment that involves toilet humor that kind of ruins the scenes for me.
Overall, while "Monkeybone" does have a lot of creative moments, especially during the Downtown sequences, the movie suffers from lack of character development that makes viewing this movie a bit hard at times.