
Christmas Getaway (2017)
Movie
After her boyfriend of 6 months breaks up with her, travel writer Emory Blake finds herself given an...

Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 2
Sergio Aragones and Ryder Windham
Book
A second wild omnibus filled with sparkling, rare Star Wars gems from everyone's favorite galaxy!...

Fifty Words for Snow
Book
Snow. Every language has its own words for the feather-like flakes that come from the sky. In...

The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings
Book
1988, Cornwall. At seventeen, Jason wants much more from life than working in his father's pub. So...

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Raven (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
This fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life begins with the brutal murder of a mother and daughter. Inspector Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) finds something oddly familiar about the crime scene and his research leads him to a story written by Poe. A struggling writer on his way to becoming the local drunkard, Poe is brought in for questioning just as another murder is discovered, again one that mirrors one of the author’s grisly stories.
Because it’s his stories that the murderer’s recreating, Poe becomes Field’s reluctant assistant in hunting down the serial killer. But when it appears Poe’s fiancee (Alice Eve) may become the murderer’s next victim, the stakes become even greater, and now it’s the murderer who’s inspiring the writer and inventor of the detective story genre to do some of his best sleuthing work.
While the cat-and-mouse element of the movie kept me in suspense, the movie itself was void of the dark drama one would expect of a movie about Edgar Allen Poe, even a fictionalized account. Even with the detailed attention to the look of 19th century Baltimore, it wasn’t enough to help Cusack’s lightweight portrayal of Poe. Many times I wondered if Evans would have been better cast as the grim, moody writer.
What I actually appreciated most about the movie was the lyrical dialogue, the clever, poetic word usage of yesteryear. Although, there were some minor slips that made me wonder if the scriptwriter or actor forgot which century they were in. I did not have high expectations for this movie, so it truly did not disappoint. With a 111 minute runtime, “The Raven” has just enough mystery to keep one guessing, however it felt a bit rushed at the end. Up against more lively competition this weekend, this may be one to save for a DVD rental.

The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life
Book
'Out of the secret world I once knew, I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we...

Young John McGahern: Becoming a Novelist
Book
John McGahern was the most admired Irish novelist of the past fifty years. His accessible fiction...

Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life
Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2015 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE 'Gripping and at times ineffably sad, this book would...

A Taste of Love
Book
'I have starved in some of the most beautiful places in the world ...' The Irish Times food writer...

Merissa (12943 KP) rated Jewel Cave (Circles #3) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
This was a great story I was really able to enjoy. With plenty of snippets into a writer's life, plus the procedural side of things, there was always something happening for me to get to grips with. I loved how Clint was so strong all the way through, and yet proved himself to be human too. I thought how it was written for both him and Griff afterwards was completely believable, and certainly kept the tension going.
A fantastic read, full of intrigue and danger, with no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed. The pacing was smooth, and the transition from one scene to another was seamless. Thoroughly enjoyed every word, and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!