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Plane (2023)
Plane (2023)
2023 | Action
8
7.1 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler), is a recently widowed dad who looks
forward to completing his nearly empty run from Singapore to Tokyo so he
can take advantage of the time difference and meet up with his daughter in
Hawaii in time to celebrate the new year.

In the new film “Plane” things do not go as planned as the nearly empty
the flight also hosts a prisoner transfer as a dangerous fugitive named Louis
(Mike Colter), is brought onto the flight late.

Forced by a corporate officer to fly through a storm they were told would
be clear by the time they reached it to save time and fuel, the flight
encounters severe issues and soon find themselves without avionics and
forced to make an emergency landing on an island.

Unable to send for help and unsure of their exact location, Brodie learns
that they are on an outer island of the Philippines and that there is only
insurrectionists and militia on the island and that the military or police
are not options.

While attempting to find a way to contact help, Brodie enlists Louis to
help and soon finds that the passengers and crew have been taking hostage
by a brutal local militia. Forced to improvise rescue and wait for
help, the tense and violent situation quickly becomes a living nightmare
as they fight to survive.

The tension level of the film is great as the early segments in the plane
did a great job of showing the routine of a pilot and also ramped up the
tension. I can be a nervous passenger when a plane gets into bad weather
and I found my palms getting sweaty and anxiety creeping in during the
detailed sequences of the flight in peril.

The action of the film was engaging as were the characters as they were
easy to pull for despite not having much in the way of backstory or
character development. The film has plenty of action as was engaging from
start to finish which makes “Plane” a pleasant diversion and one fan of
Butler will not want to miss.

4 stars out of 5
  
The Crown  - Season 2
The Crown - Season 2
2017 | Drama
Another stirring season of The Crown
The Crown returns with another great season, very different from the initial series, with less focus on an ongoing story. It delves further into the relationship between the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, and the clear tension that arises from his alleged infidelities. But the more interesting part is the fact that it feels educational, going through real-life situations such as diplomatic conflicts - the Suez crisis, former King Edward VIII's collusion with Nazis, and even the Profumo affair, all while showing actual images of the incident after the episode.

In this season, the Queen appears less timid, far more self-assured and stoic as a ruler, all the while attempting to hold the fort in her own growing household. Great Britain is flailing, with various political scandals arising, and as a result, she is heavily scrutinised. We see more of the Duke of Edinburgh's background as a child, while disturbing, it is also utterly heartbreaking. It's a much more realistic portrayal of the royal family than in the first series.
  
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Rachel (48 KP) rated The Bell Witch in Books

May 27, 2017  
The Bell Witch
The Bell Witch
John F. D. Taff | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Too Predictable
This is an interesting, yet already done, version of the well known 'Bell Witch' story. The landscape and setting for the tale is well defined. You get a good feel of the land, of the house and the atmosphere.
The characters, at times, feel very thin. It would have been nice to know them more before the witch makes her, surprisingly early, appearance. It is the character of the witch that we get to see the most, despite her being cast as the most mysterious.

No time was really given to creating tension or mystery - in this tale the witch appears quickly and makes her intentions and the source of her creation obvious almost immediately.
The author's explanation for the witch is one that is the most bandied about. This was a shame, I was rather hoping for a new take on it.

The book is well written for the most part, the witch given an extremely strong voice. I would recommend this to those who are looking for an undemanding read, not a scary or fraught one
  
Stranger Things  - Season 1
Stranger Things - Season 1
2016 | Horror, Sci-Fi
David Harbour (4 more)
All of the kids
That theme music
The pitch-perfect retro atmosphere
Barb!
I can't rate it Eleven (0 more)
Nostalgia Perfected
Stranger Things is everything I wanted J.J. Abrams' Super 8 to be, and more. The atmosphere of the show is pitch-perfect and well established from the very first episode. The creeping tension builds until it touches the viewer's core and finally "resolves" in a full-on creature feature of a final episode. Like any good mystery/thriller TV show, it saves plenty of mysteries for future seasons. Here's to hoping the Duffer brothers don't bungle it up like Hemlock Grove after the interesting mysteries in its first season. Stranger Things is a much better show, however, and the Duffer brothers seem to have a much better idea of where this story is going. The child actors are all fantastic, and of the few notable adults/teens, David Harbour is my favorite. I cannot wait for season two in October (the kids have Ghostbusters Halloween costumes!).
  
The Gift (2015)
The Gift (2015)
2015 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Great cast (6 more)
Brilliant thriller
Great acting
Build up of tension
Amazing third act
Genuine character build up
Phenomenal writing and directing
Nothing (0 more)
Fantastic movie
I was looking forward to The Gift for many reasons, including I love Joel Edgerton and believe he is anot extremely underrated actor. I love Jason Bateman, I love horror and more specifically thriller movies, and I love it when smaller movies get great critical success.
So when I was watching this I instantly fell in love with it as it is just a fantastic and beautiful piece of filmmaking. More people need to see this and appreciate it. The thriller aspects are executed to perfection and there really isn't anything I don't like about this movie. The 3rd act is one of my favourite endings to a movie ever and I strongly believe it deserves much more credit than it already has. Joel Egerton not only directs and writes this but he stars in it too which is just brilliant so please go and check this movie out
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Help in Books

May 10, 2018  
The Help
The Help
Kathryn Stockett | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read "The Help" on my Kindle and I couldn't put it down. I think I had to charge it at least 4 times. My mother had told me about the book and so I read it from her recommendation. It was interesting to me to read because my grandmother or my aunts could have very easily been in this role as well. Even though I know the timing of the civil rights movement, it intrigues me that it wasn't that long ago, and how life really was. As a black woman I have, luckily, not really encountered much racial tension in my life. I have always had friends from different backgrounds and have been able to get along with others very freely. To put myself in a world where I could not be friends with people I am friends with or would have to do so in secret made me keep turning the pages. Not that these women were necessarily friends, but if circumstances were different, I'd like to think that Miss Skeeter would have been friends with Aibileen and Minny.
  
Halloween (2018)
Halloween (2018)
2018 | Horror
Jamie Lee Curtis is back! (1 more)
Michael Myers is back!
The night he came home......again
Contains spoilers, click to show
Remember all those Halloween sequels (there's a fair few) well scrap them as this is Halloween 2 (strictly speaking the 3rd Halloween 2)

After that night in 1979 Michael Myers was captured, subdued and put in an asylum (coz that worked so well before). How on earth he got captured is beyond me but anyway go with it.
2 internet bloggers/vloggers want to write up a story on Michael and go visit him. I mean why not he's definitely known for his very chatty nature isnt he....oh and while there take his mask I'm sure he'll love that.

Inevitably Michael escapes and once more begins his pursuit of Laurie Strode (who isnt his sister). Cue tension, that musical score and many gruesome deaths.

An ending that is similar to home alone and that you would 100% confirm the end of Myers.......but this is Hollywood, the film made money and a new Halloween has been confirmed (is it Halloween 2 or 3 now)
  
Meg is hoping that a feature on the winter training of the new Ridge Rangers will impress her editor at Northwest Extreme. However, when she arrives high up on Mount Hood, she finds tension in the group. As she is wondering if she will even have a story, and a murder occurs. Suddenly, she wonders if she will even survive the weekend.

The problem with the book is it takes too long for the weekend to even start. The beginning was slow, and the ending dragged on too long as well. Some of the series regulars felt shoehorned into the book, but I was happy to see them since I like them, and I appreciated the advancement on the series storylines. Honestly, I do love the characters, and once the mystery got going it was pretty good. I just hope that the pacing issues are ironed out as the series progresses.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/01/book-review-slayed-on-slopes-by-kate.html">Carstairs Considers</a>
  
When Love Returns (The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy #3)
When Love Returns (The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy #3)
Kim Vogel Sawyer | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Kim Sawyer is one talented author. If you have not read one of her books you should. Her series "The Zimmerman Restoration" has a wonderful ending. You can check out my reviews to "When Mercy Rains" and "When Grace Sings".

Well, "When Love Returns" starts out a little tension with Suzanne and Alexa. They are celebrating Christmas with all the family. Alexa wants to find her birth mother. When Alexa tells her mom Suzanne. Suzanne is a little unsure and startled by her daughter. Suzanne learns that she will be with Anna Grace for two months. It starts with the unsealing all reasons and the secret that only started it all.

Throughout the book, Suzanne Turns to Paul to talk about Anna Grace and Alexa. What will happen with Suzanne and Paul? I believe it will come full circle. Paul starts wanting to talk to Suzanne and talk about his son Danny. Will the members of the fellowship allow Suzanne back in? To find out all these answers and Alexa answers to her questions, you will need to read "When Love Returns'?
  
TT
The Thing on the Doorstep
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow. I wasn't sure what to I was going to think of this, as several state it's not his best of stories, but as I'm a new reader of Lovecraft, I have nothing to compare this to, so I enjoyed it hugely!

The opening line of this story, <b><i>It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer,"</b></i> is enough to completely suck you in to the story. You'll find yourself getting lost in this piece of fiction, coming out the other side of it dazed, horrified and delighted.

This story has some of the best tension building, leaving you to decide what is happening to the ever changing Edward and his mysterious wife Asenath.

The hints to black magic and the occult make this story really ominous, dark and brooding. This is really a terrific horror story. If this isn't one of his best, I'm excited to see what his other stories bring!