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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Holding Up the Universe in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Libby Strout has the distinction of being "America's Fattest Teen" -- the girl who was once lifted out of her house with a crane. But no one has ever really taken the time to know Libby, a complicated and kind person who is still struggling with her mom's death and the aftermath of the crane incident. But Libby is stronger than people realize and she's now ready to try high school for the first time. She wants to experience life at a real school: with friends, clubs, love, and more. At school, Libby meets Jack Masselin. Jack is a popular kid struggling with a secret: he doesn't recognize faces. This issue makes high school popularity (and life) surprisingly complicated. Jack's life becomes even more complicated when he gets caught up in an awful high school bullying game that involves Libby. As a result, the two of them wind up in counseling together. Suddenly, they are spending a lot of time together and becoming surprising friends.
This was just a lovely book. I sped through this novel in about a day, because it was just so amazing, but I sort of wish I had savored it more, because it was so good. Libby is an excellent character. There were moments were I was simply amazed by her, and it's easy to say that I fell hard for her. Jack, too, but Libby - Libby is something special. I had read reviews (before the book came out) saying that its coverage of Libby's weight was offensive, but I didn't find it offensive at all. If anything, the book is empowering, and there were passages that made me want to stand up and shout for her. You cannot help but root for Libby.
As with many YA books, it did seem like Jack and Libby were a little mature for high school, but mostly, they felt right on point; if anything, they were each a reflection of how kids have to grow up so much faster now, what with the world being so cruel and all the bullying around them. Besides, each had suffered so much in their own way, even if Jack's life was so much easier on the surface than Libby's. Because I'd read Niven's previous novel, I was constantly waiting for something awful to happen, so there was that. :) I have to say that I enjoyed this one more than [b:All the Bright Places|18460392|All the Bright Places|Jennifer Niven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702s/18460392.jpg|26113532], even if that's hearsay for some. It was a well-written and beautiful book and just left me with a good feeling at the end... even if it also left me wishing I could meet Jack and Libby in real life.
This was just a lovely book. I sped through this novel in about a day, because it was just so amazing, but I sort of wish I had savored it more, because it was so good. Libby is an excellent character. There were moments were I was simply amazed by her, and it's easy to say that I fell hard for her. Jack, too, but Libby - Libby is something special. I had read reviews (before the book came out) saying that its coverage of Libby's weight was offensive, but I didn't find it offensive at all. If anything, the book is empowering, and there were passages that made me want to stand up and shout for her. You cannot help but root for Libby.
As with many YA books, it did seem like Jack and Libby were a little mature for high school, but mostly, they felt right on point; if anything, they were each a reflection of how kids have to grow up so much faster now, what with the world being so cruel and all the bullying around them. Besides, each had suffered so much in their own way, even if Jack's life was so much easier on the surface than Libby's. Because I'd read Niven's previous novel, I was constantly waiting for something awful to happen, so there was that. :) I have to say that I enjoyed this one more than [b:All the Bright Places|18460392|All the Bright Places|Jennifer Niven|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702s/18460392.jpg|26113532], even if that's hearsay for some. It was a well-written and beautiful book and just left me with a good feeling at the end... even if it also left me wishing I could meet Jack and Libby in real life.
Let me start off by saying that I love Marissa Meyer's writing so much, but this book wasn't as good for me as The Lunar Chronicles.
This was a really cute and quirky book with so many puns! I loved all of the puns about baking, they gave me life. Especially since I love puns and I love baking, so putting those two things together made me so happy!
This had a very interesting story, one we all know the end of, just not how the story will get to that point. If you have read or even know of Alice in Wonderland, you know that the Queen of Hearts is a villain, so it was interesting to see how she got to be that way. I am always a little hesitant to read the villain backstories because a lot of times, authors will make them out to be the heroes and completely go against what the audiences know about these beloved villains. While Meyer does have some instances of this, she also is able to build up the story enough to the point where it may be believable.
So there are going to be some plot spoilers in this paragraph, so if you do not want to read them, skip to the next paragraph! Okay, so the plot goes like this: Catherine doesn't want to be queen, she wants to bake, but the King of Hearts, as well as her parents, want her to be the queen. Cue the Joker, Jest, who is the wrong guy to fall for, but she does it anyway which eventually gets him killed and will make Cath want revenge and become the killer we know her as. There were a lot of moments throughout the plot that I was not as engaged with because they felt like they had been too much. Of course Cath would fall for Jest and of course a man would be her turning point. I was not the biggest fan of those aspects of the story. I wanted her to have more agency in why she becomes the Queen of Hearts, not just that she wants to use her power to avenge her lost love.
There was a prophecy in this book, I won't say what it was, but I will say that it wasn't my favorite because it takes any and all tension out of the story.
I loved the play on names from Meyer. Hatta being the Mad Hatter and Haigher being the March Hair, loved it!
The characters were pretty interesting, but they weren't as gripping or memorable as I would have like them to be.
I usually adore Marissa Meyer's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I am not sure if I would read it again.
This was a really cute and quirky book with so many puns! I loved all of the puns about baking, they gave me life. Especially since I love puns and I love baking, so putting those two things together made me so happy!
This had a very interesting story, one we all know the end of, just not how the story will get to that point. If you have read or even know of Alice in Wonderland, you know that the Queen of Hearts is a villain, so it was interesting to see how she got to be that way. I am always a little hesitant to read the villain backstories because a lot of times, authors will make them out to be the heroes and completely go against what the audiences know about these beloved villains. While Meyer does have some instances of this, she also is able to build up the story enough to the point where it may be believable.
So there are going to be some plot spoilers in this paragraph, so if you do not want to read them, skip to the next paragraph! Okay, so the plot goes like this: Catherine doesn't want to be queen, she wants to bake, but the King of Hearts, as well as her parents, want her to be the queen. Cue the Joker, Jest, who is the wrong guy to fall for, but she does it anyway which eventually gets him killed and will make Cath want revenge and become the killer we know her as. There were a lot of moments throughout the plot that I was not as engaged with because they felt like they had been too much. Of course Cath would fall for Jest and of course a man would be her turning point. I was not the biggest fan of those aspects of the story. I wanted her to have more agency in why she becomes the Queen of Hearts, not just that she wants to use her power to avenge her lost love.
There was a prophecy in this book, I won't say what it was, but I will say that it wasn't my favorite because it takes any and all tension out of the story.
I loved the play on names from Meyer. Hatta being the Mad Hatter and Haigher being the March Hair, loved it!
The characters were pretty interesting, but they weren't as gripping or memorable as I would have like them to be.
I usually adore Marissa Meyer's books, but this one fell a little flat for me. Overall, it was enjoyable, but I am not sure if I would read it again.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Mayfly (Charlie Priest #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
There was something about The Mayfly that attracted me, even though it doesnt really fit in with my tastes. I dont like books where the main character is ex-police turned lawyer/journalist/PI etc, but the fact that this was to do with a secret society and it drew in links back from history made me too intrigued to not request it.
Charlie Priest is our main character, hes a successful lawyer, after being a successful Detective Inspector and hes troubled (like they always are). Priests brother is a serial killer and he has dissociative disorder, but despite this, hes stellar at his job and hes a bit of a laugh. Priest certainly is an interesting and likable character, so no doubt I will check out the next in this series, just to revisit his character.
In terms of the plot, you can tell this was really well researched. The plot, as a whole, is pretty unique, and the ties to WWII and the Nazis was definitely the reason I picked this one up, so I felt a little let down that there werent that many flashbacks to that era and there wasnt an awful lot of explanation as to how and why the secret society was born. Dont me wrong, it doesnt just leave you up in the air, it does explain, but it could have been developed and done better.
There is no doubt that this book is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. The first half of the novel, I flew through. The second half of the book then pulls in some romance and things begin to get a little cheesy. From the feelings felt by the characters, to conversations, there were a couple of eye-roll moments, but it wasnt all that bad.
While I thought the plot, the crimes, the victims and all the rest, was good, it did get a little confusing at times. There were so many paths being drawn into this one investigation that I got a little lost at some points, and for this reason, guessing the bad guy can be tricky but really, its very easy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If the romance parts were removed, this could have been a 5 star read for me, because that would have taken away all the cheese. This is a good 4 star read for me, and like I said, I will definitely look into the next book in this series.
<i>Thanks to Readers First & Bonnier Zaffre for sending me an ARC copy of this book. And also to Netgalley for my eARC copy.
Charlie Priest is our main character, hes a successful lawyer, after being a successful Detective Inspector and hes troubled (like they always are). Priests brother is a serial killer and he has dissociative disorder, but despite this, hes stellar at his job and hes a bit of a laugh. Priest certainly is an interesting and likable character, so no doubt I will check out the next in this series, just to revisit his character.
In terms of the plot, you can tell this was really well researched. The plot, as a whole, is pretty unique, and the ties to WWII and the Nazis was definitely the reason I picked this one up, so I felt a little let down that there werent that many flashbacks to that era and there wasnt an awful lot of explanation as to how and why the secret society was born. Dont me wrong, it doesnt just leave you up in the air, it does explain, but it could have been developed and done better.
There is no doubt that this book is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. The first half of the novel, I flew through. The second half of the book then pulls in some romance and things begin to get a little cheesy. From the feelings felt by the characters, to conversations, there were a couple of eye-roll moments, but it wasnt all that bad.
While I thought the plot, the crimes, the victims and all the rest, was good, it did get a little confusing at times. There were so many paths being drawn into this one investigation that I got a little lost at some points, and for this reason, guessing the bad guy can be tricky but really, its very easy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If the romance parts were removed, this could have been a 5 star read for me, because that would have taken away all the cheese. This is a good 4 star read for me, and like I said, I will definitely look into the next book in this series.
<i>Thanks to Readers First & Bonnier Zaffre for sending me an ARC copy of this book. And also to Netgalley for my eARC copy.
Christina Haynes (148 KP) rated The Wicked Deep in Books
Mar 26, 2018
The Wicked Deep
By Shea Ernshaw
Review: Christina Haynes
Two centuries ago, three sisters, Marguerite, Aurora and Hazel Swan arrived on the coast of a town called Sparrow. There they made their new home, in the back of a perfumery shop which they owned and would create and sell beautifully smelly perfumes. However, this isn't the only thing that they did so well. They made men fall in love with them instantly, it didn't matter if they were older than them, if they were betrothed or married, they all fell in love with the sisters. Some people from the town claimed they were witches, others knew it. But the truth was the sisters were not witches, yet.
In June they were drowned for witchcraft, they had stones tied to their feet and pushed into the sea and died. But every year after that on June 1st the day they were all born - one year apart. They come back from the sea for revenge on the town that killed them. They take control of three girls and each murder a boy, by making the boy fall in love with them. They then call the boy into the sea and he drowns like they did weeks after their birthday. These weeks are called 'The Swan Season'
The girl's whose bodies they possess have no idea that they have become a Swan Sister and no one else knows either. Only the Swan Sisters know. Even the boys are unable to tell they are being drawn to their deaths. You see the sisters weren't witches before their deaths, but in a way, they were after them. By being drowned into the sea, they live their deaths under the waves at the bottom of the Pacific. They then reprise on to land in the month of June like magic.
Penny Talbot can see the sisters, she is the only person who can. Year after year for three years she has been able to see them underneath the girls whom they possess. Like many locals she as accepted the towns fate, that is until a boy names Bo arrives in town looking for work and a place to stay does she soon start to fall for him and realise that he is not safe, because the sisters don't just kill the boys who are from this town they take any boy who arrives. Tourist for the Swan Season, local or even just a visitor it doesn't matter, as long as they cannot resist the call of the sisters, and no one is unable too.
Penny must decide if she will save Bo from the Swan Sisters and keep him safe, or save herself.
Love, Christina
4 – I REALLY LIKED IT
By Shea Ernshaw
Review: Christina Haynes
Two centuries ago, three sisters, Marguerite, Aurora and Hazel Swan arrived on the coast of a town called Sparrow. There they made their new home, in the back of a perfumery shop which they owned and would create and sell beautifully smelly perfumes. However, this isn't the only thing that they did so well. They made men fall in love with them instantly, it didn't matter if they were older than them, if they were betrothed or married, they all fell in love with the sisters. Some people from the town claimed they were witches, others knew it. But the truth was the sisters were not witches, yet.
In June they were drowned for witchcraft, they had stones tied to their feet and pushed into the sea and died. But every year after that on June 1st the day they were all born - one year apart. They come back from the sea for revenge on the town that killed them. They take control of three girls and each murder a boy, by making the boy fall in love with them. They then call the boy into the sea and he drowns like they did weeks after their birthday. These weeks are called 'The Swan Season'
The girl's whose bodies they possess have no idea that they have become a Swan Sister and no one else knows either. Only the Swan Sisters know. Even the boys are unable to tell they are being drawn to their deaths. You see the sisters weren't witches before their deaths, but in a way, they were after them. By being drowned into the sea, they live their deaths under the waves at the bottom of the Pacific. They then reprise on to land in the month of June like magic.
Penny Talbot can see the sisters, she is the only person who can. Year after year for three years she has been able to see them underneath the girls whom they possess. Like many locals she as accepted the towns fate, that is until a boy names Bo arrives in town looking for work and a place to stay does she soon start to fall for him and realise that he is not safe, because the sisters don't just kill the boys who are from this town they take any boy who arrives. Tourist for the Swan Season, local or even just a visitor it doesn't matter, as long as they cannot resist the call of the sisters, and no one is unable too.
Penny must decide if she will save Bo from the Swan Sisters and keep him safe, or save herself.
Love, Christina
4 – I REALLY LIKED IT
Darren (1599 KP) rated Abduction (2011) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Abduction starts as we meet rebellious high school student Nathan (Lautner) that is under strict training from his parents Kevin (Isaacs) and Mara (Bello) as well as his therapist Dr Bennet (Weaver) helping him control his anger problems. Nathan gets assigned to work with his high school crush Karen (Collins) in the latest project, which involved looking at missing children’s websites only to discover one of the kids looks just like him.
When Nathan learns the truth, he finds himself getting targeted and Nathan is wondering just who to trust with Dr Bennett, Agent Burton (Molina) or Kozlow (Nyqvist) in what will turn into a race against time to find safety.
Thoughts on Abduction
Characters/Performance – Nathan is a rebellious high school student, struggling with girls, studying and generally fitting in. he learns that he is in fact adopted but this opens the doors for people coming to capture him leaving him one option, running. Karen is the crush of Nathan and ends up in the middle of the chase also running for her life. Burton is the CIA operative trying to bring Nathan in before Kozlow can get his hands on him. Kozlow is a European enemy that came to America in search for Nathan for bargaining, nothing overly fancy about this character. Dr Bennett, Mara and Kevin all have a secret about what is going on with Nathan.
Performance wise, we all know Taylor Lautner isn’t known for his acting and it does clearly show here. Lily Collins is similar, while she has come a long way now back here she struggles. When we look at the older respected actors we get good supporting performances without shinning on any levels.
Story – The story follows the idea of a teenager learning his parents are not his parents leaving him on the run from enemies he doesn’t know who to trust. Having two teenagers outsmart CIA, international enemies and normal cops does come off rather farfetched which in places does nothing but disappoint in this film. as for entertainment value, this is simple enough for the fans of the genre.
Action/Mystery – The action is everything you expect with no extra special moments but the mystery about Nathan’s true identity is what is the only interesting part of the film.
Settings – Being on the run leaves us going through a string of generic settings for this type of film.
Special Effects – All the effects are fine without being anything special.
Final Thoughts – This is a film that has its flaws sure, but once it gets going it can become an edge of your seat thriller.
Overall: Simple, average and forgettable action film.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/01/23/abduction-2011/
When Nathan learns the truth, he finds himself getting targeted and Nathan is wondering just who to trust with Dr Bennett, Agent Burton (Molina) or Kozlow (Nyqvist) in what will turn into a race against time to find safety.
Thoughts on Abduction
Characters/Performance – Nathan is a rebellious high school student, struggling with girls, studying and generally fitting in. he learns that he is in fact adopted but this opens the doors for people coming to capture him leaving him one option, running. Karen is the crush of Nathan and ends up in the middle of the chase also running for her life. Burton is the CIA operative trying to bring Nathan in before Kozlow can get his hands on him. Kozlow is a European enemy that came to America in search for Nathan for bargaining, nothing overly fancy about this character. Dr Bennett, Mara and Kevin all have a secret about what is going on with Nathan.
Performance wise, we all know Taylor Lautner isn’t known for his acting and it does clearly show here. Lily Collins is similar, while she has come a long way now back here she struggles. When we look at the older respected actors we get good supporting performances without shinning on any levels.
Story – The story follows the idea of a teenager learning his parents are not his parents leaving him on the run from enemies he doesn’t know who to trust. Having two teenagers outsmart CIA, international enemies and normal cops does come off rather farfetched which in places does nothing but disappoint in this film. as for entertainment value, this is simple enough for the fans of the genre.
Action/Mystery – The action is everything you expect with no extra special moments but the mystery about Nathan’s true identity is what is the only interesting part of the film.
Settings – Being on the run leaves us going through a string of generic settings for this type of film.
Special Effects – All the effects are fine without being anything special.
Final Thoughts – This is a film that has its flaws sure, but once it gets going it can become an edge of your seat thriller.
Overall: Simple, average and forgettable action film.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/01/23/abduction-2011/
Darren (1599 KP) rated Aeon Flux (2005) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: We get a future world where humans have been nearly wiped out by a virus, good start. We have information about a dictator who has taken over because he had the cure of the virus and making sure his family stays in charge, Aeon is hired to kill him so a change can happen, but the first of many twists stops this. We have two people that both sides in a potential war want dead but these two hold the secret that could save mankind forever. We have seen it all before and in the future world we struggle to see a truly original idea, the twists save this from being plain boring but with very little use of supporting characters we don’t get much here. (6/10)
Actor Review
Charlize Theron: Aeon Flux deadly assassin who is assigned to kill Trevor Goodchild, but when she has a past connection with him she helps him uncover a truth that can change the future forever. Solid performance trying to make something out of a little known source material. (7/10)
aeon
Marton Csokas: Trevor Goodchild leader of the people who has cured the remaining people of a deadly virus but he is still working to uncover a truth that could save the peoples real future. Good performance in the supporting scientist role. (7/10)
trvor
Johnny Lee Miller: Oren Goodchild brother of Trevor who has always supported him but when the future could change he plans to take over and keep things running as before. Good villainous role wanting to make sure he can live forever. (7/10)
ohnny
Director Review: Karyn Kusama – Creates a basic entertaining film that never really challenges the audience. (5/10)
Action: Plenty of action but most is the same each time. (7/10)
Sci-Fi: Interesting look at the future after a virus that looks at many different parts of it including improving surviving. (7/10)
Settings: We are in one city for the whole film but it really doesn’t get used as well as it should have been. (6/10)
Special Effects: Basic special effects used in Aeon Flux with most of it being upgraded technology. (7/10)
Suggestion: I think this could be tried, it isn’t as good as it could be but can be entertaining at times. (Try It)
Best Part: Aeon entering a poisonous garden.
Worst Part: Been here seen that.
Action Scene Of The Film: Final battle
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $52 Million
Budget: $62 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Tagline: The future is flux.
Overall: Fun but not original action
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/11/16/aeon-flux-2005/
Actor Review
Charlize Theron: Aeon Flux deadly assassin who is assigned to kill Trevor Goodchild, but when she has a past connection with him she helps him uncover a truth that can change the future forever. Solid performance trying to make something out of a little known source material. (7/10)
aeon
Marton Csokas: Trevor Goodchild leader of the people who has cured the remaining people of a deadly virus but he is still working to uncover a truth that could save the peoples real future. Good performance in the supporting scientist role. (7/10)
trvor
Johnny Lee Miller: Oren Goodchild brother of Trevor who has always supported him but when the future could change he plans to take over and keep things running as before. Good villainous role wanting to make sure he can live forever. (7/10)
ohnny
Director Review: Karyn Kusama – Creates a basic entertaining film that never really challenges the audience. (5/10)
Action: Plenty of action but most is the same each time. (7/10)
Sci-Fi: Interesting look at the future after a virus that looks at many different parts of it including improving surviving. (7/10)
Settings: We are in one city for the whole film but it really doesn’t get used as well as it should have been. (6/10)
Special Effects: Basic special effects used in Aeon Flux with most of it being upgraded technology. (7/10)
Suggestion: I think this could be tried, it isn’t as good as it could be but can be entertaining at times. (Try It)
Best Part: Aeon entering a poisonous garden.
Worst Part: Been here seen that.
Action Scene Of The Film: Final battle
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $52 Million
Budget: $62 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Tagline: The future is flux.
Overall: Fun but not original action
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/11/16/aeon-flux-2005/
Marylegs (44 KP) rated The Lovely Bones in Books
Aug 14, 2019
This is another book I have felt the urge to read after watching the film. I probably would never have picked this book up if I hadn’t seen the film previously. The Lovely Bones is not the easiest story to read, as it is the story of a 14 year old girl, Susie Salmon, being raped and murdered. Told from the perspective of Susie in her heaven watching over her family, friends and murderer as they carry on with their life in the years after her death. The story develops from the initial stages of grief and devastation felt by her family and friends to how the move on and, not forget her, but learn to live again.
This story could be hard work to read due to the subject matter, but in fact it is beautiful in all the right places. It is raw in detailing human emotions, and how people can feel guilty for feeling normal after the death of a loved one occurs. It is a lovely thought, of people moving onto a place where the heaven is what they make of it, that it is different for each person and that they can build upon it and still have the ability to watch over the family they left behind.
My one bug bear with the book was the character of Susie’s mother, Abigail. I understand that grief affects everyone differently but I couldn’t warm to her due to the actions she took in the subsequent years after her eldest daughter was killed. But I found all the other characters interesting and well developed including in particular Susie’s sister Lindsey, who had to grow up to quickly and Susie’s could have been boyfriend Ray, who didn’t let being accused of her murder destroy him. Even the killers’ character was interesting to read about and whilst I never sympathised with his past history as it is told, it felt important to include more about him than just having him defined by the murder he committed. Probably the most developed and grief stricken character was Susie’s father Jack, the way he dealt with his emotions is more how I imagined a parent would act after losing a child this way. It really pulled at your heart when he had to push down his grief to still try to be a father to his two remaining children, but the whole time feeling guilty that Susie wasn’t there which obviously made it harder for his to let go. I would recommend this book but due to the subject matter, no matter how delicately it is written and dealt with, still may not be for everyone.
This story could be hard work to read due to the subject matter, but in fact it is beautiful in all the right places. It is raw in detailing human emotions, and how people can feel guilty for feeling normal after the death of a loved one occurs. It is a lovely thought, of people moving onto a place where the heaven is what they make of it, that it is different for each person and that they can build upon it and still have the ability to watch over the family they left behind.
My one bug bear with the book was the character of Susie’s mother, Abigail. I understand that grief affects everyone differently but I couldn’t warm to her due to the actions she took in the subsequent years after her eldest daughter was killed. But I found all the other characters interesting and well developed including in particular Susie’s sister Lindsey, who had to grow up to quickly and Susie’s could have been boyfriend Ray, who didn’t let being accused of her murder destroy him. Even the killers’ character was interesting to read about and whilst I never sympathised with his past history as it is told, it felt important to include more about him than just having him defined by the murder he committed. Probably the most developed and grief stricken character was Susie’s father Jack, the way he dealt with his emotions is more how I imagined a parent would act after losing a child this way. It really pulled at your heart when he had to push down his grief to still try to be a father to his two remaining children, but the whole time feeling guilty that Susie wasn’t there which obviously made it harder for his to let go. I would recommend this book but due to the subject matter, no matter how delicately it is written and dealt with, still may not be for everyone.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Red Eye (2005) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
For some people, being on an airplane is one of the most terrifying and traumatic experiences they will have to endure. For Lisa Reisert, (Rachel Mc Adams), her trauma is about to extend far beyond her dislike of flying.
Rachel works at a fancy Miami hotel where here main focus is taking care of all manner of high end clients such as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Lisa is forced to take the Red-Eye flight from Dallas to Miami to return to work on time following the funeral of her Grandmother, and as it tends to go with travels, there are all manner of delays that keep her from departing at the scheduled time.
It is during one such delay that Rachel meets the charismatic Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), and as fate has it, they end up sitting next to one another after spending some time in a restaurant bar waiting for their flight to board.
As their plane ascends into the dark and stormy weather, a change occurs in Jackson, and he reveals that he is on the plane to ensure that Lisa follows his instructions, as failure to do so will result in the death of her beloved father.
Jackson reveals to Lisa that he works for interests who want to send a message so as the person in charge at the hotel, and then she must reassign the visiting Secretary of Homeland Security and his family to a room other than his usual one.
Trapped at 30,000 FT, with a psychotic Killer, Lisa must face her fears and find a way to outwit the killer in order to save her father the Secretary and perhaps herself from a situation borne of insanity and desperation.
Director Wes Craven is best known as the man behind the “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” series as well as countless other horror and suspense films has crafted a mix bag with “Red-Eye”, as the first half of the film is hampered by the uninspired final segments of the film.
What starts out as an interesting premise with many opportunities for suspense and tension are lost as the film unwinds. Early to middle segments of the film do have moments of suspense and some great exchanges between the two leads which makes the saggy and uninspired finale all the more disappointing.
Mc. Adams and Murphy are very good in their parts as is Jayma Mays in a supporting role as all three are talents to keep an eye on for the future.
That being said, the early moments of the film do deliver the goods and if you can get around the by the numbers finale, then you might find yourself enjoying the film.
Rachel works at a fancy Miami hotel where here main focus is taking care of all manner of high end clients such as the Secretary of Homeland Security. Lisa is forced to take the Red-Eye flight from Dallas to Miami to return to work on time following the funeral of her Grandmother, and as it tends to go with travels, there are all manner of delays that keep her from departing at the scheduled time.
It is during one such delay that Rachel meets the charismatic Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), and as fate has it, they end up sitting next to one another after spending some time in a restaurant bar waiting for their flight to board.
As their plane ascends into the dark and stormy weather, a change occurs in Jackson, and he reveals that he is on the plane to ensure that Lisa follows his instructions, as failure to do so will result in the death of her beloved father.
Jackson reveals to Lisa that he works for interests who want to send a message so as the person in charge at the hotel, and then she must reassign the visiting Secretary of Homeland Security and his family to a room other than his usual one.
Trapped at 30,000 FT, with a psychotic Killer, Lisa must face her fears and find a way to outwit the killer in order to save her father the Secretary and perhaps herself from a situation borne of insanity and desperation.
Director Wes Craven is best known as the man behind the “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” series as well as countless other horror and suspense films has crafted a mix bag with “Red-Eye”, as the first half of the film is hampered by the uninspired final segments of the film.
What starts out as an interesting premise with many opportunities for suspense and tension are lost as the film unwinds. Early to middle segments of the film do have moments of suspense and some great exchanges between the two leads which makes the saggy and uninspired finale all the more disappointing.
Mc. Adams and Murphy are very good in their parts as is Jayma Mays in a supporting role as all three are talents to keep an eye on for the future.
That being said, the early moments of the film do deliver the goods and if you can get around the by the numbers finale, then you might find yourself enjoying the film.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Paycheck (2003) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
In the year 2007, memories can be erased almost as easily as they can be created. With corporate security being of top concern, this technology is in high demand for corporations who hire people to work on sensitive projects.
Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck), is a master of technology, and as such, is in high demand for his ability to reverse engineer technology. Companies hire him to work in private to unlock technological secrets of their competition and upon completion of his work; Jennings has his memories of his work and time at the company removed. This arrangement protects the companies, as they do not have to disclose how they came about the new technologies and the only person who can attest to the source of the work has no memory of it making the claim valid, and keeping him from being able to recoup long-term profits from the company.
Jennings is well paid for his work, and has recently completed a two-month job when his friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), asks Michael to come work on a secret thee-year project for his company. Michael is told only that it deals with optics and that he will be paid with stock options worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
After thinking about the deal, Michael agrees to the job and sets out to complete the task ahead of him.
In what seems like a few minutes to him, Michael comes to in the office of Rethrick and is stunned to learn that he has completed his work and that it was a huge success.
Pleased, Michael sets out to collect his payment but is surprised to learn that he forfeited his stocks four days earlier and sent himself an envelope containing various mundane items such as paperclips, ball bearings, matches, and keys.
Before long, Michael is running for his life and attempting to unravel the mystery of the missing three years in his memory.
Based on the short story by renowned Sci-Fi author Phillip K. Dick, and directed by famed action helmer John Woo, “Paycheck” is a pleasant and entertaining surprise. The previews do not do this film justice, as it is an entertaining and engrossing film with good supporting work by Uma Thurman and Paul Giamatti.
There are a number of twists and turns to the story and some good action and humor along the way. Affleck does solid work as a man desperate to solve the mystery and struggling to cope with his life spun out of control.
While the ending was a bit to Hollywood for me, “Paycheck” is a solid and entertaining film and worth seeing.
Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck), is a master of technology, and as such, is in high demand for his ability to reverse engineer technology. Companies hire him to work in private to unlock technological secrets of their competition and upon completion of his work; Jennings has his memories of his work and time at the company removed. This arrangement protects the companies, as they do not have to disclose how they came about the new technologies and the only person who can attest to the source of the work has no memory of it making the claim valid, and keeping him from being able to recoup long-term profits from the company.
Jennings is well paid for his work, and has recently completed a two-month job when his friend Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), asks Michael to come work on a secret thee-year project for his company. Michael is told only that it deals with optics and that he will be paid with stock options worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
After thinking about the deal, Michael agrees to the job and sets out to complete the task ahead of him.
In what seems like a few minutes to him, Michael comes to in the office of Rethrick and is stunned to learn that he has completed his work and that it was a huge success.
Pleased, Michael sets out to collect his payment but is surprised to learn that he forfeited his stocks four days earlier and sent himself an envelope containing various mundane items such as paperclips, ball bearings, matches, and keys.
Before long, Michael is running for his life and attempting to unravel the mystery of the missing three years in his memory.
Based on the short story by renowned Sci-Fi author Phillip K. Dick, and directed by famed action helmer John Woo, “Paycheck” is a pleasant and entertaining surprise. The previews do not do this film justice, as it is an entertaining and engrossing film with good supporting work by Uma Thurman and Paul Giamatti.
There are a number of twists and turns to the story and some good action and humor along the way. Affleck does solid work as a man desperate to solve the mystery and struggling to cope with his life spun out of control.
While the ending was a bit to Hollywood for me, “Paycheck” is a solid and entertaining film and worth seeing.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Pumpkinhead (1988) in Movies
Oct 24, 2019
Characters – Ed Harley is a hardworking shop keeper and single father, he gets on well with the community and enjoys the quiet life. His life is turned upside down when his son is killed in an accident, which pushes him to turn to the dark arts to avenge his son’s death, only he didn’t plan for what would be expected from him. Chris is one of the teenagers that wants to do the right thing after the accident, much like the rest of the teenagers they all blend into one, except for the one that caused the accident, who only wants to look after himself.
Performances – Lance Henriksen is the star of the film, he is easily the best performer as his character goes through the biggest trauma and shows the desperation for revenge and regret for his decision. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are performed to the level most slasher films reached.
Story – The story here follows a man that will do anything to get vengeance for his son’s death, which sees him summon the evil Pumpkinhead to kill the people that took his son, he soon learns the errors of his choice and must figure out how to stop the killing machine. For a monster creature feature slasher this is a simple story, we don’t get twists, we don’t need much character development as we are more interested in seeing the effects being used. It is nice have a story that remains simple in the horror genre at times too.
Fantasy/Horror – The fantasy elements of this film comes from the figure of Pumpkinhead that gets summoned to do revenge for people that believe they have been wronged, which plays hand in hand with the horror side of the film which is slasher elements which show just how deadly this figure will be.
Settings – The film is set in a small town where we don’t have many people with the ones living their knowing each other and anyone coming from the outside being frowned upon.
Special Effects – The effects are the highlight of the film, Stan Winston was known for his ability to create some of the most memorable creatures in film history and with him directing he brings us another terrifying creation.
Scene of the Movie – The first imagine of Pumpkinhead.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teenagers are stupid for how they acted for the accident to happen in the first place.
Final Thoughts – This is a slasher that can be enjoyed by the horror community, it offers everything needed to just let us enjoy ourselves without challenging us like other horrors.
Overall: Simple, effective and fun horror.
Performances – Lance Henriksen is the star of the film, he is easily the best performer as his character goes through the biggest trauma and shows the desperation for revenge and regret for his decision. When it comes to the rest of the cast, they are performed to the level most slasher films reached.
Story – The story here follows a man that will do anything to get vengeance for his son’s death, which sees him summon the evil Pumpkinhead to kill the people that took his son, he soon learns the errors of his choice and must figure out how to stop the killing machine. For a monster creature feature slasher this is a simple story, we don’t get twists, we don’t need much character development as we are more interested in seeing the effects being used. It is nice have a story that remains simple in the horror genre at times too.
Fantasy/Horror – The fantasy elements of this film comes from the figure of Pumpkinhead that gets summoned to do revenge for people that believe they have been wronged, which plays hand in hand with the horror side of the film which is slasher elements which show just how deadly this figure will be.
Settings – The film is set in a small town where we don’t have many people with the ones living their knowing each other and anyone coming from the outside being frowned upon.
Special Effects – The effects are the highlight of the film, Stan Winston was known for his ability to create some of the most memorable creatures in film history and with him directing he brings us another terrifying creation.
Scene of the Movie – The first imagine of Pumpkinhead.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The teenagers are stupid for how they acted for the accident to happen in the first place.
Final Thoughts – This is a slasher that can be enjoyed by the horror community, it offers everything needed to just let us enjoy ourselves without challenging us like other horrors.
Overall: Simple, effective and fun horror.