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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Annabelle (2014) in Movies

Oct 14, 2020

Annabelle (2014)

2014 | Horror

6.2

(25 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Shockingly not terrible. Don't get it twisted, the first 45 minutes still represent the worst of what horror movies can be (sewing machines are not fucking scary no matter how much royalty-free sounding, overloud music cues and ugly CGI blood you put around them) but after that it immediately wakes up and becomes something sort of half-serviceable. Its assets still have to work in service of another one of these shallow husks of horror franchise spin-offs complete with bottom-of-the-barrel acting from its two leads, sloppy editing, amateur-hour dialogue, and zero reason for existing. But that being said, this is actually a more interesting take on motherhood persevering through demonic possession than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 - its characters are somewhat better and it introduces some intriguing threads about how religion presents itself in people's personal problems. Granted it doesn't do too much with them buy hey, they're there. Plus that entire elevator/staircase segment (barring the idiotic final jump) is effective as hell and Alfre Woodard is terrific. Kind of fun for a while, but not only am I still wondering why this needed to happen... but if it did, why was it pushed out in such a state? Though hey, at least it went with the R-rating which this easily could have skipped out on.

Kudos

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Broken Beauty (Broken Beauty Novellas #1) in Books

Jan 12, 2021

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This is a novella length story, the first of six, and deals with the aftermath and issues surrounding rape. It was a tough read at times but a good strong story.

I felt sorry for Mia. Being brought up in a political family and then being raped…and her father wants to glorify it to get more voters so he can win his election. How twisted can your life get? Her family do and say things to get voters, whether it’s helping Mia cope or not–mainly not–and I wanted to scream and shout at them in her defence.

And despite all that, some people do care. Dom, the policeman that found her in the first place, tries to help her realise that the only way her attackers will not get away with it, is to tell the truth and stop following her family’s wish to let it drop. He’s so nice and gentle with her. Her friend, Ari, tries to do whatever Mia wants but seeing how she’s struggling…what can you do?

It’s an emotional and sometimes tough story to read but after finishing this, I’m looking forward to the next part in the series to see what Mia does next. I hope she’s strong enough to go against her family.

Kudos

Christine A. (965 KP) rated What Lies Between Us in Books

May 22, 2020 (Updated May 26, 2020)

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

I discovered John Marrs when I read his novel, The Passengers. Going off a recommendation, I picked up his book. What I had meant to read was The Passenger by Lisa Lutz. I still haven't read Lutz's but enjoyed finding Marrs.

What Lies Between Us is nothing like the John Marrs' The Passengers, Both are twisted and keep you engaged but that is where the similarities end.

The synopsis says that every house has its secrets. I believe that to be true. The house in this story is hiding a lot of secrets. Nina and Maggie are co-dependent on each other but with a complicated past. Nina blames Maggie for how Nina's life turned out. To get revenge, she chains Maggie in a soundproof room and is keeping her prisoner for twenty-one years or until she dies.

I have to admit I thought I figured everything out. That is until I assumed something Marrs implied. I should say, I mistakenly assumed something. When I finished the book, I needed to go back and reread a chapter. I completely fell for it. I do not want to ruin the secrets by saying too much but you have to read this book!

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 5/22/2020