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Every Last Fear
Book
“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces...
The Blue Pool
9.0
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What really happened that weekend? Four friends go to a remote cabin one summer. Only three return....
Murder by Munchhausen Trilogy Set
7.5
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A Cyber Crime Thriller Series: Notorious serial killers digitally resurrected to live & hunt again...
Science Fiction sci-fi scifi sci fi thriller police procedural
Bonnie and Clyde: Dam Nation
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall
Book
THE REDEMPTION OF BONNIE AND CLYDE Saving the working class from a river of greed. The year is...
series fiction alternative history Bonnie & Clyde Bonnie and Clyde
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Till Death (2021) in Movies
Oct 6, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Till Death is a pretty middle-of-the-road thriller that somehow manages to both benefit and suffer from its no-nonsense approach to, well everything really. On the one hand, it's premise is an enticing one - after finding out about her affair, Emma's (Megan Fox) husband leads her out to a remote cabin under the false pretense of an anniversary getaway, handcuffs the two of them together by the wrists, and proceeds to shoot himself, leaving her attached to his dead body and fighting for her life when two hitmen come by to finish the job. This setup leads to a decent amount of tension, it's snowy setting exacerbating her survival conditions.
There aren't really any twists or turns to be had, and everything plays out fairly predictably, and quite honestly, it wouldn't work as well without the cast attached to it. Megan Fox has proved with vehicles such as Jennifer's Body that she is more than capable to lead a horror flick with style, and Till Death cements that fact. Her character is pretty badass, and Fox gives us a protagonist that's worth rooting for. On the flip side, the two hitmen-brother actors are great as well. Callan Mulvey in particular cuts an imposing figure as the movies main villain.
The narrative flirts with deeper context here and there but sadly never pulls the trigger. Mulvey's character is a person from Emma's past, having mugged her some years ago. The plot clearly spells out that there was motive behind this, but never explores this aspect, leaving a frustrating and unexplained story thread. The relationship between the brothers is interesting also, and at one point threatens to present a dilemma in who to side with, but again, it never actually goes there, and as such, reeks of a wasted opportunity for a far more interesting story than the one presented.
For what it is though, Till Death is a competent and entertaining enough thriller/horror to add to a spooky season watchlist
There aren't really any twists or turns to be had, and everything plays out fairly predictably, and quite honestly, it wouldn't work as well without the cast attached to it. Megan Fox has proved with vehicles such as Jennifer's Body that she is more than capable to lead a horror flick with style, and Till Death cements that fact. Her character is pretty badass, and Fox gives us a protagonist that's worth rooting for. On the flip side, the two hitmen-brother actors are great as well. Callan Mulvey in particular cuts an imposing figure as the movies main villain.
The narrative flirts with deeper context here and there but sadly never pulls the trigger. Mulvey's character is a person from Emma's past, having mugged her some years ago. The plot clearly spells out that there was motive behind this, but never explores this aspect, leaving a frustrating and unexplained story thread. The relationship between the brothers is interesting also, and at one point threatens to present a dilemma in who to side with, but again, it never actually goes there, and as such, reeks of a wasted opportunity for a far more interesting story than the one presented.
For what it is though, Till Death is a competent and entertaining enough thriller/horror to add to a spooky season watchlist
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Run (2020) in Movies
Oct 10, 2021
For starters, the general premise of Run is a scary one. In a world where everything seems to be getting more tempestuous by the day, it can be difficult to place your trust in other humans, but if there is one person you should be able to trust unconditionally, it's your own mother. It becomes rapidly apparent during the runtime just how much control Diane (Sarah Paulson) has over her daughter Chloe's (Kiera Allen) day-to-day life. When Chloe begins to suspect that things aren't quite what they seem, shit quickly hits the fan. What follows is a thriller that touches upon how damaging and overbearing love can be.
There are some genuinely tense moments sprinkled throughout, and some scenes that are quite uncomfortable to watch (with a few creepy shots thrown in for good measure). It wears it's inspirations on its sleeve - Misery is a clear influence here, both thematically and visually, but it feels like there is homage being paid rather than any ripping off.
The main issue I had was with the pacing. There isn't really much of a build up before Chloe starts to figure out that there's some fuckery afoot - kudos for getting straight to it - but it results in a narrative that takes forever to get to its climax. This is a minor gripe, thanks in no small part to the two lead actresses. I love Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story - even in that shows' low points, she always remains a constant positive - so I'm always happy to see her in other projects. Kiera Allen is the show stealer though, and the two have them share a great dynamic that really bolsters all the other positives.
In short, Aneesh Chaganty has crafted a tight and tense thriller with Run, and after this and Searching, I look forward to whatever he next brings to the table.
There are some genuinely tense moments sprinkled throughout, and some scenes that are quite uncomfortable to watch (with a few creepy shots thrown in for good measure). It wears it's inspirations on its sleeve - Misery is a clear influence here, both thematically and visually, but it feels like there is homage being paid rather than any ripping off.
The main issue I had was with the pacing. There isn't really much of a build up before Chloe starts to figure out that there's some fuckery afoot - kudos for getting straight to it - but it results in a narrative that takes forever to get to its climax. This is a minor gripe, thanks in no small part to the two lead actresses. I love Sarah Paulson in American Horror Story - even in that shows' low points, she always remains a constant positive - so I'm always happy to see her in other projects. Kiera Allen is the show stealer though, and the two have them share a great dynamic that really bolsters all the other positives.
In short, Aneesh Chaganty has crafted a tight and tense thriller with Run, and after this and Searching, I look forward to whatever he next brings to the table.
The Judge's List
Book
'Besides the usual Grisham virtues of an arresting idea, polished plotting and vivid social...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Pay the Ghost (2015) in Movies
Nov 4, 2017 (Updated Nov 4, 2017)
Another terrible Nicholas Cage horror
I was bored so I decided to watch this film knowing that it has terrible ratings. And I can definitely see why.
It surrounds Cage's missing child who disappeared on Halloween. There emerges a rather unclear pattern of missing children and bizarre otherworldly messages. Given that it is New York, it's difficult to see how they established a sequence of missing children as there were far more than just three children going missing on this day every year. And somehow Celtic folklore gets drafted in, where a mother, who was burned at the stake with her three children, seems to be the one taking these kids in revenge.
The end battle is almost comedic, as Cage gets strangled by a burnt witch while hovering in the sky and rotating simultaneously. It's pretty ridiculous - there's nothing that threads the story together, going from all out supernatural to thriller back to supernatural. A flakey story no doubt.
It surrounds Cage's missing child who disappeared on Halloween. There emerges a rather unclear pattern of missing children and bizarre otherworldly messages. Given that it is New York, it's difficult to see how they established a sequence of missing children as there were far more than just three children going missing on this day every year. And somehow Celtic folklore gets drafted in, where a mother, who was burned at the stake with her three children, seems to be the one taking these kids in revenge.
The end battle is almost comedic, as Cage gets strangled by a burnt witch while hovering in the sky and rotating simultaneously. It's pretty ridiculous - there's nothing that threads the story together, going from all out supernatural to thriller back to supernatural. A flakey story no doubt.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Breakdown in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Stick with it, takes a while to like the protagonist
After reading the brilliant 'Behind Closed Doors', I was wondering how BA Paris would be able to excel expectations - and she has thankfully managed to avoid the usual psychological thriller pitfalls once again.
There was a massive red herring which provides a brilliant twist and opportunity for the ultimate revenge. Feeling claustrophobic throughout, due to the main character's apparent early onset dementia, it sets an unnerving tone from the outset. At this point I did worry it would end up with the same gaps in information such as in The Girl on the Train. However, Paris manages to steer clear of becoming another wannabe Gone Girl, and totally holds her own.
For about 75 per cent of the time, you will find the protagonist's almost neurotic personality quite annoying until the last quarter of the book where you will end up completely empathising with her. Another fantastic dark tale from BA Paris.
There was a massive red herring which provides a brilliant twist and opportunity for the ultimate revenge. Feeling claustrophobic throughout, due to the main character's apparent early onset dementia, it sets an unnerving tone from the outset. At this point I did worry it would end up with the same gaps in information such as in The Girl on the Train. However, Paris manages to steer clear of becoming another wannabe Gone Girl, and totally holds her own.
For about 75 per cent of the time, you will find the protagonist's almost neurotic personality quite annoying until the last quarter of the book where you will end up completely empathising with her. Another fantastic dark tale from BA Paris.
Denise Mc (1 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express in Books
Jan 14, 2018
A disappointing Christie
I haven’t read a lot of Christie’s work but of the ones I have read this is not one of her best. It is a typical Christie in layout, in the way she leads you down the wrong path on purpose or the way she deliberately doesn’t given you certain information. However, I worked out what was happening fairly quickly and I really didn’t like the ending, it was very disappointing and made me wonder what the point of it all was.
In a nutshell, a man dies on a train, there’s an investigation by Poirot, everyone is interviewed and the murderer announced. If you love Christie then this is one not to miss reading so you can at least say you have read them all but if you are looking for a rip roaring yarn or an exciting thriller then I can think of better books to spend your time on
In a nutshell, a man dies on a train, there’s an investigation by Poirot, everyone is interviewed and the murderer announced. If you love Christie then this is one not to miss reading so you can at least say you have read them all but if you are looking for a rip roaring yarn or an exciting thriller then I can think of better books to spend your time on