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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated In a Dark, Dark Wood in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Nora hasn't heard from her friend Clare in over 10 years, until she receives an invite to her "hen party" (bachelorette party for us Americans) from one of Clare's friends. Clare and Nora were the best of friends in school, until a series of events brought them apart, and she eventually decides to attend, along with their friend Nina. However, when Nora and Nina arrive, they gather with a group of Clare's friends at an isolated house in the woods. Things seem off from the beginning and go downhill from there.
This book was a juggernaut that I couldn't stop reading. It was a fast read with a captivating plot that overcame some of its other flaws, mainly some mildly annoying characters who lacked development and performed some outlandish actions based on the past. The book unfolds from Nora's point of view in bits and pieces, and she's an unreliable narrator as well (suffering from some memory loss), which really allows the suspense to build. Note that despite the title, it's not a scary book, per se, just a thriller or mystery. It's a fun read, trying to piece together the various threads to reach the conclusion. I felt a little bad for those caught up in the schoolhouse games of the characters, for sure.
Overall, would have liked to have gotten to know the characters and their motivations a bit more (some very high stakes actions occur, which are a little hard to believe - a lot of the plot requires suspending disbelief at times, if you really think things through), but still an enjoyable and fast-paced thriller. 3.5 stars.
This book was a juggernaut that I couldn't stop reading. It was a fast read with a captivating plot that overcame some of its other flaws, mainly some mildly annoying characters who lacked development and performed some outlandish actions based on the past. The book unfolds from Nora's point of view in bits and pieces, and she's an unreliable narrator as well (suffering from some memory loss), which really allows the suspense to build. Note that despite the title, it's not a scary book, per se, just a thriller or mystery. It's a fun read, trying to piece together the various threads to reach the conclusion. I felt a little bad for those caught up in the schoolhouse games of the characters, for sure.
Overall, would have liked to have gotten to know the characters and their motivations a bit more (some very high stakes actions occur, which are a little hard to believe - a lot of the plot requires suspending disbelief at times, if you really think things through), but still an enjoyable and fast-paced thriller. 3.5 stars.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Killing Eve in TV
Oct 22, 2018 (Updated Oct 22, 2018)
Good script (1 more)
Great cast
A Solid Spy Thriller With Laughs
Killing Eve is a BBC series based on the novel, 'Codename: Villianelle.' It stars Sandra Oh as Eve and Jodie Comer as Villianelle. Both are brilliant in their respective roles and are the main players in driving the show forward. They are supported by a very strong supporting cast as well, with everyone selling their character convincingly.
There are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing, but there are also a lot of spy story clichés present in the series. These aren't too offensive though, as I don't think that the show's main focus is to break the mould when it comes to spy thrillers, but instead to take its audience in an exciting espionage story while giving us some laughs along the way.
Speaking of which, the humour in this show doesn't take away from the gripping narrative, but instead adds to the show's charm. I will admit that it took me a while to get fully on-board with the show's off-kilter tone and quirky humour, but thankfully more of it lands than misses.
I am not familiar with the source material, so I am not sure how accurately it has been adapted. I don't even know if the novel contains the same odd tone or humour. It has intrigued me enough to go and read the book though, which is always a good sign.
Overall, this is a fun spy thriller. It is not going to break the rules of the genre, but it will keep you engaged throughout and give you a couple of laughs for good measure.
There are a few twists and turns that keep you guessing, but there are also a lot of spy story clichés present in the series. These aren't too offensive though, as I don't think that the show's main focus is to break the mould when it comes to spy thrillers, but instead to take its audience in an exciting espionage story while giving us some laughs along the way.
Speaking of which, the humour in this show doesn't take away from the gripping narrative, but instead adds to the show's charm. I will admit that it took me a while to get fully on-board with the show's off-kilter tone and quirky humour, but thankfully more of it lands than misses.
I am not familiar with the source material, so I am not sure how accurately it has been adapted. I don't even know if the novel contains the same odd tone or humour. It has intrigued me enough to go and read the book though, which is always a good sign.
Overall, this is a fun spy thriller. It is not going to break the rules of the genre, but it will keep you engaged throughout and give you a couple of laughs for good measure.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Bird Box (2018) in Movies
Jan 7, 2019 (Updated Jan 7, 2019)
Fantastic direction and cinematography, full of great shots (3 more)
Great ensemble cast
Vague enough to keep you guessing while still giving you enough to care about the players involved
Fantastic use of tension
The Movie That A Quiet Place Wishes It Was
For me, A Quiet Place was one of the biggest let downs of the year. I was so hyped based on the trailers beforehand and I was ultimately left extremely underwhelmed.
This movie hit the mark that A Quiet Place missed in my opinion and is an example of a stellar horror/thriller that does it's job of keeping it's audience on the edge of their seat throughout.
Sandra Bullock puts in one of the greatest performances of her career here and proves that her remarkably consistent career hasn't just happened by accident, she is an actress at the top of her game and has stood the test of time for a reason. The rest of the cast are also great, with Sarah Paulson, Trevante Rhodes, Tom Hollander and John Malkovich standing out as highlights.
I loved the way that the filmmakers built legitimate tension and dread without resorting to bog standard lazy modern horror techniques such as throwing in an abundance of jumpscares and hoping that at least a couple of them work. The movie does a fantastic job at keeping you the edge of your seat throughout and throwing in a few twists to keep the momentum going until the end.
I don't want to say too much more as you are best going into this movie as blind as possible (pun intended,) but it is a brilliant thriller that is definitely worth your time.
This movie hit the mark that A Quiet Place missed in my opinion and is an example of a stellar horror/thriller that does it's job of keeping it's audience on the edge of their seat throughout.
Sandra Bullock puts in one of the greatest performances of her career here and proves that her remarkably consistent career hasn't just happened by accident, she is an actress at the top of her game and has stood the test of time for a reason. The rest of the cast are also great, with Sarah Paulson, Trevante Rhodes, Tom Hollander and John Malkovich standing out as highlights.
I loved the way that the filmmakers built legitimate tension and dread without resorting to bog standard lazy modern horror techniques such as throwing in an abundance of jumpscares and hoping that at least a couple of them work. The movie does a fantastic job at keeping you the edge of your seat throughout and throwing in a few twists to keep the momentum going until the end.
I don't want to say too much more as you are best going into this movie as blind as possible (pun intended,) but it is a brilliant thriller that is definitely worth your time.
Need to Know
9.7
Rate It
Book
PERFECT HUSBAND. PERFECT FATHER. PERFECT LIAR? ‘You'll devour this terrific debut like the rest...
thriller
This is a dark, psychological thriller about paranoia and disturbing secrets all told within an original plot and from 3 perspectives; Beth, the writer of The List and Ruby.
Beth is a loner with no friends or family to speak of apart from a seemingly ideal boyfriend. She seems to have the perfect life, aside from recurring horrific nightmares, but it soon becomes clear that she has a dark and disturbing past that she is keen to forget and put behind her.
The writer of The List is just that ... but why and what does she have to do with Beth and what are her intentions given that the first two people on The List are dead?
Ruby is a teenager in an institution placed there following her part in a totally heinous and horrific attack on a vulnerable child ... what does she have to do with Beth and the writer of the list?
This is a story that although is a work of fiction, is not beyond the realms of reality unfortunately which makes it a hard and emotional read in places. It's also a slow burner which builds in tension as the whole story emerges and Beth's life unravels and this is the only complaint I have, it wasn't as fast paced as I would have liked with a bit too much description which affected the flow for me but, having said that, I would still recommend to dark, thriller lovers who enjoy reading something a bit different for the norm.
Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest review.
Beth is a loner with no friends or family to speak of apart from a seemingly ideal boyfriend. She seems to have the perfect life, aside from recurring horrific nightmares, but it soon becomes clear that she has a dark and disturbing past that she is keen to forget and put behind her.
The writer of The List is just that ... but why and what does she have to do with Beth and what are her intentions given that the first two people on The List are dead?
Ruby is a teenager in an institution placed there following her part in a totally heinous and horrific attack on a vulnerable child ... what does she have to do with Beth and the writer of the list?
This is a story that although is a work of fiction, is not beyond the realms of reality unfortunately which makes it a hard and emotional read in places. It's also a slow burner which builds in tension as the whole story emerges and Beth's life unravels and this is the only complaint I have, it wasn't as fast paced as I would have liked with a bit too much description which affected the flow for me but, having said that, I would still recommend to dark, thriller lovers who enjoy reading something a bit different for the norm.
Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest review.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Basic Instinct (1992) in Movies
Apr 17, 2021
Love The Way You Lie
Basic Instinct- is a excellent erotic thriller. Both Micheal Douglas and Sharon Stone are excellent in it.
The plot: The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur and Nick's psychologist and lover, Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), appears to be another suspect.
Douglas recommended Kim Basinger for the role of Catherine Tramell, but Basinger declined. He also proposed Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi and Meg Ryan but they also turned down the role, as did Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, Ellen Barkin, and Mariel Hemingway. Verhoeven considered Demi Moore.
She was paid $500,000, a low sum relative to the film's production budget. Michael Douglas was determined to have another A-list actress starring in the movie with him; worried to take the risk on his own, he was quoted as saying "I need someone to share the risks of this movie. [...] I don't want to be up there all by myself. There's going to be a lot of shit flying around.
Basic Instinct is rated R for "strong violence and sensuality, and for drug use and language". It was initially given a commercially restrictive NC-17 rating by the MPAA for “graphic depictions of extremely explicit violence, sexual content, and strong language”, but under pressure from TriStar and Carolco, Verhoeven cut 35–40 seconds to gain an R rating.
Its a excellent thriller and a must watch.
The plot: The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. Investigated by homicide detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense relationship. Meanwhile, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur and Nick's psychologist and lover, Beth Garner (Jeanne Tripplehorn), appears to be another suspect.
Douglas recommended Kim Basinger for the role of Catherine Tramell, but Basinger declined. He also proposed Julia Roberts, Greta Scacchi and Meg Ryan but they also turned down the role, as did Michelle Pfeiffer, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, Ellen Barkin, and Mariel Hemingway. Verhoeven considered Demi Moore.
She was paid $500,000, a low sum relative to the film's production budget. Michael Douglas was determined to have another A-list actress starring in the movie with him; worried to take the risk on his own, he was quoted as saying "I need someone to share the risks of this movie. [...] I don't want to be up there all by myself. There's going to be a lot of shit flying around.
Basic Instinct is rated R for "strong violence and sensuality, and for drug use and language". It was initially given a commercially restrictive NC-17 rating by the MPAA for “graphic depictions of extremely explicit violence, sexual content, and strong language”, but under pressure from TriStar and Carolco, Verhoeven cut 35–40 seconds to gain an R rating.
Its a excellent thriller and a must watch.
A murder in reverse
This is a thriller that begins with a murder. We are left with the puzzle of solving why Natalie, an Instagram star, is murdered and by whom. The style can be a little confusing at times, and the title gives some indication as to why: Rewind. The book plays out along the lines of a recording, where chapters are titled ‘Rewind’, ‘Pause’ and ‘Play’. Once I got into the swing of things, it became clearer as to what was going on.
It’s a clever book, actually. I was never quite sure who had committed the murder, even when it seemed obvious. There are some disturbing characters who could all have been responsible- and I liked that we couldn’t be sure. I liked the contrast of Natalie’s seemingly perfect life against that of the other characters, and I did like the very capable Gardaì (Irish Police) - so often, police are portrayed as incompetent. I didn’t really trust myself to guess who had committed the murder, so many of the characters could have - I should say that I’m not really one of those readers who start a thriller thinking they’ll solve the mystery. I just like to read along for the ride - and this is certainly an interestingly twisty, turny ride!
I liked the ending from the journalist very much. It summed everything up really well (and helped to explain everything that I was left questioning at the end). I don’t think I’ve seen this approach before, especially the chapters named Rewind, Pause, Play.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book. I really enjoyed it.
It’s a clever book, actually. I was never quite sure who had committed the murder, even when it seemed obvious. There are some disturbing characters who could all have been responsible- and I liked that we couldn’t be sure. I liked the contrast of Natalie’s seemingly perfect life against that of the other characters, and I did like the very capable Gardaì (Irish Police) - so often, police are portrayed as incompetent. I didn’t really trust myself to guess who had committed the murder, so many of the characters could have - I should say that I’m not really one of those readers who start a thriller thinking they’ll solve the mystery. I just like to read along for the ride - and this is certainly an interestingly twisty, turny ride!
I liked the ending from the journalist very much. It summed everything up really well (and helped to explain everything that I was left questioning at the end). I don’t think I’ve seen this approach before, especially the chapters named Rewind, Pause, Play.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book. I really enjoyed it.
Finding Grace
9.0
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Book
This morning, my daughter sat right here, munching her breakfast, too excited to finish it. Now, she...
Fiction Thriller Psychological