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Willy's Wonderland (2021)
Willy's Wonderland (2021)
2021 | Horror, Thriller
10
6.7 (13 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Everything, it's a masterpiece. (0 more)
Oh come on... you know I'm watching Nic Cage go full rage at some killer robots!

A stranger runs into bad luck as he nears a small town in the middle of nowhere. Luckily a local mechanic comes across him stranded and offers him assistance. But the bad luck isn't over. With no way to pay for his new tyres, he has to agree to some light cleaning work in the abandoned town attraction. What could possibly go wrong when you're locked in a family restaurant overnight with some large, menacing looking, animatronics?

What's not to love about this particular breed of film? Horror that is so over the top with daftness and unintentional/intentional humour really does hit the spot.

Is this storyline sensible? Absolutely not. If you pick at any thread this will very quickly fall apart... but we're here for the nonsense. You don't come to a Nic Cage film these days for anything else. And much like shark films, I have an independent scoring system to deem the quality of his offerings.

The dynamics between all of the characters is hilarious. Cage with... everyone... is stranger (as expected), and the others all have stereotypical elements to them that bounce back and forth well. Though none of them are quite as obvious as you'd see in spoof horrors though. Beth Grant is always fun to have in things, and she's got the sinister thing down quite well, definitely a great pick for this role.

Our animatronic actors have the perfect creepy movements, combine this with the oversized costumes and the somewhat magical elements to their activities, and you get some fantastic nightmare fuel.

Though I have to query who designed such a terrible layout for a family restaurant, I can't help but marvel at all the different rooms scattered around the building. A fantastic maze of terror waiting for anyone who enters, and each one with its retro-ramshackle look is a delight to see. Throw in the oversized entertainment and the look is great.

At just 88 minutes in length it's a nice easy watch, and you'll definitely have enough to keep you... intrigued? I found myself shouting at the screen with "why", "how" and "what" type questions, and that just added to my enjoyment. A masterpiece.

Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/07/willys-wonderland-movie-review.html
  
HP
Hiding Places
Erin Healy | 2015
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kate and her family live at the Harrison Lodge, a hotel that has been in her family for generations. Together with her two older sister, Olivia and Alyssa; her mother Janet; her grandparents, Donna and Daniel; and her great grandmother, Pearl, Kate helps where she can around the lodge, but she spends most of her time in different hiding places listening in on her family and guests. When Kate discovers someone who is in need of her help, she doesn't hesitate to provide her assistance which helps to bring back the original purpose of the lodge. But when this stranger brings trouble to the only home Kate has ever known, will the hiding places be enough to keep them all safe.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I have read by Erin Healy and I'm excited to read more by her. This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed that there was a child as the main character. Not because of the situation that they were involved in, but it showed strength and commitment to a character you may not always associate these traits with.

This is another book that was hard to put down. I got upset when I fell asleep or had other things I had to get done that would tear me away from the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that will hold your attention throughout its entirety.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated First Frost in Books

Feb 13, 2018  
First Frost
First Frost
Sarah Addison Allen | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Claire and Sydney are sisters. Claire is the more practical of the two and lately, she is drowning under the weight of a blossoming candy business. Sydney runs a hair salon and worries about her teenage daughter, Bay, who seems to be drifting away from her. In addition, Sydney longs for another baby. One day, a mysterious stranger shows up in their tiny town and threatens to disrupt their lives, especially Claire's.

This was an interesting read and definitely more on the 3.5 star end. I was about halfway through when I realized there was a book that came before this one - I'll probably read that one at some time, but I was already committed to this one. The book has a mystical edge to it; supposedly, each of the Waverley women are blessed with a gift, and Claire's house - the old Waverley home - has strange powers and a mind of its own.

At first it's a little strange to add the magic to the story, but it actually works well. Claire, Sydney, and Bay are all interesting characters. I actually found myself hoping there will be a third book that focuses more on Bay, because she's a compelling person. In a way, not much happens in the story, things just sort of float along as the women wait for the "first frost" to occur, but I still found myself compulsively flipping pages, wondering what would happen next. All in all, that's a sign of a good tale. Definitely a fun little read.
  
The Bounty Hunter (2010)
The Bounty Hunter (2010)
2010 | Action, Comedy, Romance
4
6.3 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Jennifer Aniston is the queen of the rom-com no one would disagree with that. But she is running the risk (if not already) of becoming so type cast we wonder if she’ll ever be able to leave the genre again. It’s not all bad, but one can sometimes have too much of a good thing.

In The Bounty Hunter she is paired along side heart throb Gerard Butler who is no stranger to the more sensitive side of his persona having ventured into romance with Hilary Swank in P.S. I Love You. (a better film I would say).

It’s a fun filled plot and for sheer entertainment value its good, but the storyline is weak using Aniston’s reporter to scrape together a story surrounding a mysterious suicide while at the same time avoiding her bounty hunting ex husband (Butler) is clutching at comedy straws.

The on screen chemistry between the pair is one of the few positive things to come out of the film, both look like they enjoyed each other both played well off each other. The problem is that from the off you know exactly what the ending is going to be and how the pair will reach the conclusion by way of slightly un funny dialogue and poorly executed action.

Director Andy Turner brings us nothing that we haven’t already seen, and nothing unique that we would have like to have seen. If you’re an Aniston fan then it might be worth the run time, but it certainly doesn’t warrant a place at the top of any list.