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A Darling Obsession
Book
In 1899, an unspeakable crime was committed by a mob in the town of Guinevere Beach, Florida. Eighty...
Horror Psychological Thriller
Dean (6927 KP) rated Ambulance (2022) in Movies
Mar 30, 2022 (Updated Mar 30, 2022)
Great chase scenes (1 more)
Jake Gyllenhaal
Speedy Action Thriller
Well we have a remake here of an old Danish film. Not aware of that film but this is pretty much much an all out action, loud, big, crazy fun film. Mixing Den of Thieves with Speed kinda vibe. After a Bank heist goes awry 2 robbers highjack an ambulance to make their escape. Then we have the long pursuit. Despite the long run time the action rarely lets up with some great cop chase scenes and enough of a story to make it interesting. Not ground breaking by any means but you'll enjoy the ride.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Beast (2022) in Movies
Oct 12, 2022
I enjoyed watching Idris Elba have the living shit beaten out of him by a lion more than I thought I would.
I went to see this on a Wednesday afternoon, when I had a couple of hours to kill, fully expecting to hate it, but it's a genuinely enjoyable thriller horror, with some tense moments. The characters are stupid way more often than they should be, and I got the feeling the script was improvised a fair bit, but honestly, Idris straight up chokes out a snake at one point, before punching the lion in the face a bit later, so it all balances out.
I went to see this on a Wednesday afternoon, when I had a couple of hours to kill, fully expecting to hate it, but it's a genuinely enjoyable thriller horror, with some tense moments. The characters are stupid way more often than they should be, and I got the feeling the script was improvised a fair bit, but honestly, Idris straight up chokes out a snake at one point, before punching the lion in the face a bit later, so it all balances out.
The Libra: Part 1
Book
When Hassan Gardner was born during a full moon in October, his pro-Black father told his mother he...
thriller suspense
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Copycat in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Sometimes you come across a really easy to read and exciting thriller novel, that doesn’t take up too much head space, and is alotta fun… Copycat is exactly that! This one really helped me out of a reading slump, hallelujah!
I can’t turn around to you and say this is the most menacing, gripping and terrific thriller I’ve ever read, but I can say that it’s worth picking up if you’re looking for a non-challenging but exciting read.
The characters in this one are nicely developed, but there was a bit of a lack of connection between me and our main character Sarah. I think if I’d been able to get to know her better, I might have had more sympathy for her in parts, but alas. I found a lot of the family related situations to be very realistic, and liked the dynamic between husband and wife.
As for the rest of the story, the plot wasn’t particularly realistic, but that didn’t ruin the book in any way. Sometimes you just need a story to take you away from real life and give you a fun fictional tale to follow. Now, just because I didn’t feel like this one was extremely realistic, doesn’t mean I didn’t find parts of it creepy! Some of the “stalkers” ploys at getting Sarah nervous and afraid were really creative and menacing!
In the end, I had guessed how the story was going to play out, but I didn’t have a reason as to why it was going to play out that way. Even though I had my theory on the “stalker”, which turned out to be correct, I didn’t find this took away from the excitement of the end of the novel. I still got to enjoy the now knowing of how the book was going to conclude.
Overall, I really enjoyed this thriller and would definitely say it’s one to look out for if you’re looking for something a little less challenging, but still just as exciting to read as some other darker, more meaningful thrillers on the market (like Watching Edie or My Sister’s Bones, for example).
Thanks to HarperCollins for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I can’t turn around to you and say this is the most menacing, gripping and terrific thriller I’ve ever read, but I can say that it’s worth picking up if you’re looking for a non-challenging but exciting read.
The characters in this one are nicely developed, but there was a bit of a lack of connection between me and our main character Sarah. I think if I’d been able to get to know her better, I might have had more sympathy for her in parts, but alas. I found a lot of the family related situations to be very realistic, and liked the dynamic between husband and wife.
As for the rest of the story, the plot wasn’t particularly realistic, but that didn’t ruin the book in any way. Sometimes you just need a story to take you away from real life and give you a fun fictional tale to follow. Now, just because I didn’t feel like this one was extremely realistic, doesn’t mean I didn’t find parts of it creepy! Some of the “stalkers” ploys at getting Sarah nervous and afraid were really creative and menacing!
In the end, I had guessed how the story was going to play out, but I didn’t have a reason as to why it was going to play out that way. Even though I had my theory on the “stalker”, which turned out to be correct, I didn’t find this took away from the excitement of the end of the novel. I still got to enjoy the now knowing of how the book was going to conclude.
Overall, I really enjoyed this thriller and would definitely say it’s one to look out for if you’re looking for something a little less challenging, but still just as exciting to read as some other darker, more meaningful thrillers on the market (like Watching Edie or My Sister’s Bones, for example).
Thanks to HarperCollins for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Pretty Little Wife in Books
Jan 7, 2021
Slow to start, but ultimately an intriguing and unique thriller
Lila Ridgefield's husband is missing. A beloved high school teacher, his boss, colleagues, and brother cannot believe that Aaron Payne would just disappear. He's certainly not the type to simply not show up for work one day. As for his wife, Lila is known more for her cold and quiet demeanor (and, let's be honest, her beauty). She's also pretty confused, because the last time she saw Aaron, she was rather convinced she was looking at his dead body. So where's his car she left behind--and the body? Investigator Ginny Davis is called to look into Aaron's disappearance. At first it seems unrelated to that of a missing local student. But the more Ginny digs, the more she starts to wonder. And the more Lila digs, the more she fears her husband is still alive.
"Despite all her careful planning, he was gone. She had to find Aaron before he found her."
Well, this was quite a book. The beginning was a bit slow for me--it took too long to get to the exciting part, and it was repetitive. It felt like bits and pieces were rehashed over and over. I wanted to shake Lila and tell her to get on with it!
But, once everything gets moving, this is quite an exciting thriller. The last fourth of the story especially is incredibly electrifying and, for the most part, keeps you guessing. (I had a decent idea about whodunnit, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.) I loved the concept of a mystery where the woman kills her husband, yet the main story is, surprise: he disappears anyway. The dynamic between cunning Lila, whom you're never sure you can trust, and Ginny, who is a straightforward and honest investigator, is excellent. I enjoy a book with strong female protagonists and these two are excellent.
Overall, even though this dragged for a bit, it's certainly worth a read. For one thing, it's different, which is so refreshing in the thriller genre. It's also dark, intriguing, and surprising. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Lila Ridgefield's husband is missing. A beloved high school teacher, his boss, colleagues, and brother cannot believe that Aaron Payne would just disappear. He's certainly not the type to simply not show up for work one day. As for his wife, Lila is known more for her cold and quiet demeanor (and, let's be honest, her beauty). She's also pretty confused, because the last time she saw Aaron, she was rather convinced she was looking at his dead body. So where's his car she left behind--and the body? Investigator Ginny Davis is called to look into Aaron's disappearance. At first it seems unrelated to that of a missing local student. But the more Ginny digs, the more she starts to wonder. And the more Lila digs, the more she fears her husband is still alive.
"Despite all her careful planning, he was gone. She had to find Aaron before he found her."
Well, this was quite a book. The beginning was a bit slow for me--it took too long to get to the exciting part, and it was repetitive. It felt like bits and pieces were rehashed over and over. I wanted to shake Lila and tell her to get on with it!
But, once everything gets moving, this is quite an exciting thriller. The last fourth of the story especially is incredibly electrifying and, for the most part, keeps you guessing. (I had a decent idea about whodunnit, but it didn't diminish my enjoyment at all.) I loved the concept of a mystery where the woman kills her husband, yet the main story is, surprise: he disappears anyway. The dynamic between cunning Lila, whom you're never sure you can trust, and Ginny, who is a straightforward and honest investigator, is excellent. I enjoy a book with strong female protagonists and these two are excellent.
Overall, even though this dragged for a bit, it's certainly worth a read. For one thing, it's different, which is so refreshing in the thriller genre. It's also dark, intriguing, and surprising. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Vanished in the Sun (Carlos & Mia #2)
4.0
Rate It
Book
VANISHED in the SUN, second edition of this exhilarating romance thriller series by powerfully...
Beneath the Mountain: A Novel
Book
In Luca D’Andrea’s atmospheric and brilliant thriller, set in a small mountain community in the...
suspense thriller
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Oxygen (2021) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
A taut mystery horror/thriller that goes off in surprising directions!
You can recognize a ‘lockdown-produced movie’ a mile off. Typically it focuses on a handful of players, who are mostly socially isolated. Here is a classic example. Yet by doing that, the director is forced to focus in on character and dialogue. As such, some of these ‘small’ movies that reign in the director’s excesses are far better as a result.
“Oxygen” is a case in point. When I saw that the film was directed by Alexandre Aja – the man behind the OTT “Piranha 3D” and the equally OTT popcorn-croc movie “Crawl” from 2 years ago, I feared the worst. But this an intriguing little movie that mystifies and jolts in equal measure.
There is probably no such thing anymore as a truly novel thriller or science fiction film. And this draws recognisably from a host of other movies: I personally recognised elements from “Room“, “Solaris”, “Moon” and “Gravity” in there. But the closest similarity is definitely to the Ryan Reynolds 2010 thriller “Buried” which features a very similar initial set-up. If “Oxygen” were to have pulled out an ending like that film (if you haven’t watched it yet – do so!) then it would have been a mini-classic.
Positives:
No spoilers here, but this is a ‘small’ mystery movie that goes off in a VERY surprising direction. The script is genuinely unpredictable.
Mélanie Laurent gives a strong performance as the heroine near the end of her tether.
Although this is a French film, don’t let that put you off. Netflix gives options of the original French, French with subtitles and an English dub. And the English dubbing is so good that it took me until some sub-titles for text written in French before I realised it was dubbed!
Negatives:
After the long drip-drip-drip of context, I found the ending to be something of a disappointment. Too twee.
I found something morally dubious about the ‘re-routing’ request near the end of the movie. (Although, I’m sure given the options, I would probably do the same!)
If you don’t like jump scares, you are likely to spill a lot of hot drinks while watching this one!
“Oxygen” is a case in point. When I saw that the film was directed by Alexandre Aja – the man behind the OTT “Piranha 3D” and the equally OTT popcorn-croc movie “Crawl” from 2 years ago, I feared the worst. But this an intriguing little movie that mystifies and jolts in equal measure.
There is probably no such thing anymore as a truly novel thriller or science fiction film. And this draws recognisably from a host of other movies: I personally recognised elements from “Room“, “Solaris”, “Moon” and “Gravity” in there. But the closest similarity is definitely to the Ryan Reynolds 2010 thriller “Buried” which features a very similar initial set-up. If “Oxygen” were to have pulled out an ending like that film (if you haven’t watched it yet – do so!) then it would have been a mini-classic.
Positives:
No spoilers here, but this is a ‘small’ mystery movie that goes off in a VERY surprising direction. The script is genuinely unpredictable.
Mélanie Laurent gives a strong performance as the heroine near the end of her tether.
Although this is a French film, don’t let that put you off. Netflix gives options of the original French, French with subtitles and an English dub. And the English dubbing is so good that it took me until some sub-titles for text written in French before I realised it was dubbed!
Negatives:
After the long drip-drip-drip of context, I found the ending to be something of a disappointment. Too twee.
I found something morally dubious about the ‘re-routing’ request near the end of the movie. (Although, I’m sure given the options, I would probably do the same!)
If you don’t like jump scares, you are likely to spill a lot of hot drinks while watching this one!