Chloe (778 KP) rated Our Little Cruelties in Books
Mar 2, 2021
The story is full of twists and turns, that slowly unwind the characters and explain why they are how they are, sort of. I think the characters are brilliant and the way they are described/actions they take just makes you hate them.
Overall its sad to think that families are like this and it was interesting to see the same events from different viewpoints. I liked that the time frames shifted but were still easy to follow, when I first realised this I was apprehensive as I often forget to read the chapter name as I'm too excited to crack on.
There could have been more delving into the many mental health issues in the book. I also didn't like the hinting towards mental health being hereditary.
Identity (2003)
Movie Watch
Identity is a daring new thriller from director James Mangold, (the writer/director of Girl,...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Good Liar (2019) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
Mirren and McKellen themselves are the best thing about this film by far. Seeing them on screen together is wonderful, even if their acting styles often differ (and on occasion get a bit hammy). But they really are brilliant to watch and they lead this film well. Seeing Ian McKellen play a rather nasty and not very nice character is unusual and you can see he relishes this role (in some cases maybe a little too much). I do wish there had been a little more of Russell Tovey though.
The story itself is what lets this film down. The backstories of the characters are maybe not quite what you'd expect, but the way the story plays out and ends is a little bit predictable. And maybe a tad ridiculous. But that said, I did still enjoy watching this and it's a fairly decent and entertaining thriller, even with the slightly OTT ending.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Edge of Darkness (2010) in Movies
May 5, 2020 (Updated May 6, 2020)
As well as two-thirds of the running time and most of the plot, the movie version of Edge of Darkness also cheerfully dispenses with virtually everything that made the TV show so memorable: theoretically a fiendishly convoluted thriller, it also contained an environmentalist subtext, an incest subtext, a subtext about Anglo-US relations, even some borderline SF & fantasy elements. All of this is gone and just replaced with Mel Gibson looking intense and beating people up. As a result it is very hard to care about what's happening, although the illogicality of much of it does manage to cut through (someone poisoning someone else and then deciding to shoot them as well is practically a motif). Ray Winstone is not bad as Jedburgh, but given the source material the rest of it is unforgivably lousy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) in Movies
May 10, 2020
The world is made up of people who prefer the Steve McQueen version and those who like this one (and I suppose there are conceivably a few folk who've seen neither): I am in the Brosnan camp, although this film does kind of miss the point that Crown only steals for the fun of it in the original (Brosnan's character clearly appreciates art). Much more of a romantic drama than an actual thriller, but well played and engaging, and the set pieces, when they eventually come, are clever and well-staged. As a chance for Brosnan (then at the apogee of his Bond success) to show his range, it's a qualified success (Crown is another suave, high-living thrill seeker with possible commitment issues), but as a piece of entertainment it does the job.
Insidious : The Last Key (2018)
Movie Watch
The creative minds behind the hit Insidious trilogy return for Insidious: The Last Key. In the...
Amberlough
Book
A double-agent sacrifices all his ideals in order to save his smuggler lover before a government...
Science fiction thriller
Want You Gone
Book
Want You Gone is the superb new psychological thriller from million-plus award-winning bestseller...
Thriller
The Eyes of Darkness
Book
A search for a missing son... and a toxic mystery that threatens the globe. 'Did a 1981 Dean...