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Gail (4 KP) rated Every Last Drop: A Vampire Anthology in Books
Jun 4, 2018
A collection of short stories involving vampires. Who doesn’t love vampires. These are the legitimate kind though so no sparkles. I enjoyed the twist in history. To give a reason for blood lust.
Natural Born Predators was awesome. The Beauty and The Beast with a vampire twist. Belle is no damsel in distress. She is a hard core vampire hunter. She is lethal and hot. Frey is a god with the power to control the weather around his castle. He imprisoned Bell's father for trespassing. What he wasn’t expecting was this beauty to come and calm his world. He knows he can’t change who Bell is but can he accept the thought of her always putting her life at risk.
All the stories were really good. It would be awesome to read full length novels of Fate and Fortune and Natural Born Predators. To get more details on the love stories and how the lives of the people effected turned out. To see that not all stories have a HEA.
Natural Born Predators was awesome. The Beauty and The Beast with a vampire twist. Belle is no damsel in distress. She is a hard core vampire hunter. She is lethal and hot. Frey is a god with the power to control the weather around his castle. He imprisoned Bell's father for trespassing. What he wasn’t expecting was this beauty to come and calm his world. He knows he can’t change who Bell is but can he accept the thought of her always putting her life at risk.
All the stories were really good. It would be awesome to read full length novels of Fate and Fortune and Natural Born Predators. To get more details on the love stories and how the lives of the people effected turned out. To see that not all stories have a HEA.
An interesting thriller
As thrillers go, this is a pretty good one. It's very well written and has you hooked and interested right from the start. The characters are well developed and all flawed in their own way, some to the point where you actually don't like them (but I get the feeling that's intended). There is a lot fitted into a fairly short book, but this isn't necessarily a negative. There are some benefits to books not dragging on for hundreds of pages more than necessary.
My only negatives are that sadly I saw the twist coming. Not straight away, but I cottoned on around 2/3 of the way through and I'm afraid I turned out to be right. I've probably read far too many books but it's a shame when you figure out the ending in advance. Also, the story goes at quite a pace but the ending seems ridiculously rushed.a massive build up and then a bit of a lacklustre ending, despite the twist.
My only negatives are that sadly I saw the twist coming. Not straight away, but I cottoned on around 2/3 of the way through and I'm afraid I turned out to be right. I've probably read far too many books but it's a shame when you figure out the ending in advance. Also, the story goes at quite a pace but the ending seems ridiculously rushed.a massive build up and then a bit of a lacklustre ending, despite the twist.
Kate (493 KP) rated The House of Twelve in Books
Nov 26, 2019
I did enjoy this book. I like crime novels and was not aware this was paranormal as well but it did all make sense and tie in at the end.
Once I started reading I couldn't out the book down - I read it in a day.
The story flowed well and it was interesting to find out the back ground of each character. I did like the twist at the end when the newspaper cut outs and reports were found. It really tied everything together.
I couldn't connect with the characters but that could be because some of them weren't around long and others I just didn't feel anything for. I didn't care what happened to each character and/or when it happened.
The story reminded me of the Saw films. They were more about a game and torture which I don't like so the book was better.
The book was very well put together.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Once I started reading I couldn't out the book down - I read it in a day.
The story flowed well and it was interesting to find out the back ground of each character. I did like the twist at the end when the newspaper cut outs and reports were found. It really tied everything together.
I couldn't connect with the characters but that could be because some of them weren't around long and others I just didn't feel anything for. I didn't care what happened to each character and/or when it happened.
The story reminded me of the Saw films. They were more about a game and torture which I don't like so the book was better.
The book was very well put together.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Upscale Downhome
9.0
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Recipes for affordable meals presented so polished you'd never know their "lowbrow" origins,...
Dean (6927 KP) rated Vertigo (1958) in Movies
Apr 3, 2022
Far from his best
Well apparently this flopped at the time but many consider it a classic now. A thriller ahead of it's time for sure, with an atmospheric score. But watching it today it was predictable there would be a twist.
A former Detective is asked to spy on an old friends wife and keep track of her. Leading to obsession and a tragic event.
The first two thirds of the film are very slow and rather uneventful as James Stewart follows Madeleine wandering around town. Given an odd story by his friend to explain her behaviour, but he becomes more obsessed with her over time. The final third of the film was also a little slow getting to the reveal stage. At the time it would be a great twist but today you start to work out possible explanations quite early. The final scene also felt a bit over the top. Enjoyable to see a Hitchcock film but far from a classic for me.
A former Detective is asked to spy on an old friends wife and keep track of her. Leading to obsession and a tragic event.
The first two thirds of the film are very slow and rather uneventful as James Stewart follows Madeleine wandering around town. Given an odd story by his friend to explain her behaviour, but he becomes more obsessed with her over time. The final third of the film was also a little slow getting to the reveal stage. At the time it would be a great twist but today you start to work out possible explanations quite early. The final scene also felt a bit over the top. Enjoyable to see a Hitchcock film but far from a classic for me.
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Don't Worry Darling (2022) in Movies
Oct 1, 2022
Plays it Too Safe
The previews for the new thriller/mystery DON’T WORRY DARLING shows a housewife in a seemingly idyllic 1950’s paradise community - but something about this seemingly perfect paradise is off - an intriguing premise for a film and one that I am a sucker for. Clearly, it will have some sort of twist that explains the weird situation our heroine is in. Most of the time, I can glean what that twist is going to be, but I gotta give DON’T WORRY DARLING credit, I couldn’t guess this one.
Starring Florence Pugh (BLACK WIDOW) and Harry Styles (of ONE DIMENSION fame), and Directed by Olvia Wilde (who also has a supporting role in this film), DON’T WORRY DARLING is a passable mystery/thriller with a plot twist that “plays fair” with the incongruities early in the film.
This is a safe film - and one that is safely paced - and that is the very definition of “damning with faint praise”. It doesn’t “lean into” the weirdness of the situation or the resultant take on the Male Dominated society of the 1950’s that marginalizes women into subordinate helpers.
Writer Katie Silberman (BOOKSMART) and Director Wilde just are too tame and cautious in their approach to this material and the film drags, slightly, in the first part of the film - a part of the film that could have used more injection of life into it by showing stronger instances of incongruity caused by “the twist” later on or stronger resistance by the Pugh character to break out of the background role her character is bound to, but they shy away from it.
Saving this film is the central performance of Pugh as housewife Alice who is slowly beginning to realize that something is wrong with this piece of heaven. Chris Pine is enigmatically mysterious as Frank, the boss of this experimental community while Wilde, Gemma Chan (THE ETERNALS) and Nick Kroll (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS) all provide solid - if unspectacular - supporting work.
Styles, on the other hand, works hard at his character and to hold his own in his scenes with Pugh, but he just isn’t on the same level of acting ability as Pugh, so his character falls short and seems thin in comparison to hers.
A film that could have been better if the Director and Writer had the courage of their commitments and pushed the envelope further AND if they could have found a counterpart performer to Pugh…but at least it does come up with an original and unique twist.
But, as it is, DON’T WORRY DARLING, falls squarely into “it’s fine, a good way to spend a few hours” category.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Starring Florence Pugh (BLACK WIDOW) and Harry Styles (of ONE DIMENSION fame), and Directed by Olvia Wilde (who also has a supporting role in this film), DON’T WORRY DARLING is a passable mystery/thriller with a plot twist that “plays fair” with the incongruities early in the film.
This is a safe film - and one that is safely paced - and that is the very definition of “damning with faint praise”. It doesn’t “lean into” the weirdness of the situation or the resultant take on the Male Dominated society of the 1950’s that marginalizes women into subordinate helpers.
Writer Katie Silberman (BOOKSMART) and Director Wilde just are too tame and cautious in their approach to this material and the film drags, slightly, in the first part of the film - a part of the film that could have used more injection of life into it by showing stronger instances of incongruity caused by “the twist” later on or stronger resistance by the Pugh character to break out of the background role her character is bound to, but they shy away from it.
Saving this film is the central performance of Pugh as housewife Alice who is slowly beginning to realize that something is wrong with this piece of heaven. Chris Pine is enigmatically mysterious as Frank, the boss of this experimental community while Wilde, Gemma Chan (THE ETERNALS) and Nick Kroll (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS) all provide solid - if unspectacular - supporting work.
Styles, on the other hand, works hard at his character and to hold his own in his scenes with Pugh, but he just isn’t on the same level of acting ability as Pugh, so his character falls short and seems thin in comparison to hers.
A film that could have been better if the Director and Writer had the courage of their commitments and pushed the envelope further AND if they could have found a counterpart performer to Pugh…but at least it does come up with an original and unique twist.
But, as it is, DON’T WORRY DARLING, falls squarely into “it’s fine, a good way to spend a few hours” category.
Letter Grade: B
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Day After Tomorrow (2004) in Movies
Jan 2, 2018
Too cold to go out
A disaster movie that takes on fu ride. We have seen volcano's hurricanes, tornado's,Tsunami's and even the earth's core stop. Now we have to deal with the oceans currents stopping and causing a new ice age. With any disaster movie there is death,suspense and a hero or two. This provides all three but with a twist. we don't stop the disaster. One reason why I like this movie. How they survive that's for you to see
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Into the Water in Books
Jul 26, 2017
Unusual, not as good as first but intriguing twist
Very unusual story, with Paula Hawkins using a similar back and forth narrative with several narrators as in Girl On A Train. The difference being there are more than one primary characters and the neurotic protagonist is played down far more than in her previous novel. And there are numerous subplots which actually confused the entire story and does not seem to thread together very well. It would have been better with less complications.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) in Books
Jul 27, 2017
A long episode of X-Files
For those who are Sci-fi fans, this is a bit of a dream. It's intelligent, compiled completely through a series of 'classified' interviews with a mysterious authoritative person with no name. While the concept is a bit unoriginal and slightly lame, it's written in a militaristic tone giving a sense of realism. There is a big twist at the end that sets up the premise for the next book. Interesting - but not much else.