Book Review - Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

Title: Kill For Me, Kill For You
Author: Steve Cavanagh
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2024
 
Description: One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed theur families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.
 
In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the house she shares with her husband Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?
 
Review: Jess, Amanda’s infant daughter, was kidnapped and found murdered. Her partner couldn’t deal with it, because she was taken on his watch. He commits suicide and Amanda is left traumatized and is now taking group therapy. During one of these sessions, she meets Wendy, who also had a difficult time. And they both have that one person they passionately hate: the one who destroyed their lives. Together they plot the ideal plan: Amanda will kill for Wendy and Wendy will fill for Amanda.
 
We also get to know Ruth, who lives with her husband Scott. When home alone, Ruth is attacked and stabbed multiple times. He gets away and Ruth has to live in fear for the rest of her life.
 
It’s best to read this book without knowing too much about it. The book has a well-thought-through plot, with several strong twist. Not necessarily shocking, it’s possible to predict them, but none of them are obvious.
 
The chapters are short, how I like them, and told from different perspectives. Not just Amanda or Ruth, but also detective Farrow and some others. Multiple POV’s is something that always intrigues me.
 
“Kill For Me, Kille For You” doesn’t have a ton of characters. They are strongly developed. Not per say likeable, but understandable. You can understand their rhyme and reason and their emotions. They are all interesting characters.
 
I really enjoyed “Kill For Me, Kill For You”, a very strong, solid thriller with interesting characters and some really good plot twists and reveals.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Beautiful Game

Director: Thea Sharrock
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Bill Nighy, Michael Ward, Kit Young, Sheyi Cole, Tom Vaughnan-Lawlor, Robin Nazari, Valeria Golino
 
Description: Advocates to end homelessness, organize an annual tournament for Homeless people to compete in a series of football matches known as The Homeless World Cup.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 17: A FILM BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Review: Mal is a football scout. He now leads a British football team. But not the team we know. He is the head coach for the English national team for the homeless. Every year, there is a football competition: The Homeless World Cup.

“The Beautiful Game” is a sympathetic feel-good film about the World Cup of soccer for the homeless: an annual event where homeless people are, for a very brief moment, the hero, and not condemned by society. The focus is on the British team, led by Mal, delightfully portrayed by Bill Nighy. In Rome, he must lead his tem to victory, including the help of former talent Vinny.

The film takes a few side paths and leans heavily on sports movie cliches, but is ultimately extremely satisfying, as a tale of infectious underdogs.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 2022
 
Description: Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view on equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with – of all things -  her mind. True chemistry results
 
Review: A feminist in the 1960s? There were plenty of them. But none like Elizabeth Zott. This feminist debut novel by Bonnie Garmus paints a stunning portrait of a woman in the male-dominated world of science and chemistry.
 
Meet Elizabeth Zott, a chemist who is ahead of her time. She wants nothing more than a career in chemistry and above all, to be taken seriously by her male colleagues. Unfortunately, as a woman during this time, she is incredibly opposed. By everyone except for Calvin, a colleague who has a crush on her. Elizabeth therefore takes on the role of teacher, by presenting a cooking show that secretly teaches women the intricacies of chemistry.
 
Elizabeth is a powerful, confident woman who knows exactly what she wants. She has contemporary standards that contrast sharply with the ideas of the other characters. A large cast of characters passes by, but despite the many names, it remains easy to properly recognize everyone.
 
“Lessons in Chemistry” begins with a small section in present day, and then goes back several years, following both eh highs and lows of Elizabeth’s career. in doing so, Author Bonnie Garmus nicely highlights the struggles of women in the 1950s / 1960s. Women belonged at home, taking care of her family, something Elizabeth strongly disagrees with. She resists this by actively pursuing her career in chemistry.
 
The writing style is comfortable to read and immediately draws you into the story. The story is told mostly from Elizabeth’s perspectives, but also from other characters, like Calvin, her daughter Madeline and even her dog Six Thirty. I loved Garmus’ style.
 
Elizabeth eventually has her own cooking show, Supper at Six, after her daughter Madeline was born. This cooking show is meant to teach the average housewives new dishes. But Elizabeth actually gives the show something extra. She cooks real dishes, but explains everything in such a way that it might as well be a chemistry lesson. And she never talks down to her audience, telling every woman who’s watching, they are not just housewives or average women.
 
“Lessons in Chemistry” is a novel that gives you an insight into the life of a woman in the 1950s/ 1960s. It beautifully highlights the hardship women have to endure when they want something different from what society dictates. It grabbed me from the start, Elizabeth Zott is an inspiring character and I loved every minute of this book. “Lessons in Chemistry” is definitely a new all-time favorite.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Expendables 4

Director: Scott Waugh
Genre: Action
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Megan Fox, 50 Cent, Anday Garcia

Description: Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on, the Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team gets called when all other options are off the table.

Review: The “Expendables” were never really good, but at least they managed to give the impression that they would be good. Posters filled with big names like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Jason Stathman and many others made it clear that plenty of Hollywood stars were happy to show up for them, so that had to be some sign of quality. Part four, however, has to make do with… Megan Fox and 50 Cent?

Okay, Fox is an easy headline, because the problems of “Expendables 4” are bigger than one mismatched actress. But her presence is somewhat exemplary of how the source has dried up nicely. The previous volumes packed in plenty of action heroes of yesteryear, but now we have apparently arrived at actors we know mostly from modern blockbusters. That’s remarkable for a film series meant to capitalize on nostalgia for a time when action movies were a lot rougher and simpler than the ones Fox is known for.

Regulars like Jet Li, Terry Crews and Arnold Schwarzenegger are nowhere to be found, while the newcomers from the previous installment also proved completely expandable. Initiator Sylvester Stallone also seems to be a bit don with it, and Jason Statham is upgraded to lead actor in this fourth installment.

This movie is really bad. No memorable one-liners, the new characters are forgettable and uninteresting, and this film is just no fun. The other three were so much fun, they didn’t take themselves serious. “Expendables 4” looks like it does. If all these previous action stars that weren’t in this fourth film said no to it, I understand why and they should be happy about it. I’m just going to pretend this film never happened and I will stick with the other three films.

Rating: 1/ 5

10s Movie Review - Rambo: Last Blood

Director: Adrian Grunberg
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Yvette Monreal, Adriana Barazza
Description: John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) must confronts his past and unearth his ruthless combat skills to exact revenge in a final mission.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 16: A FILM FROM A DIRECTOR YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A FILM FROM BEFORE
 
Review: Already the fifth installment of the “Rambo” franchise, and given the title, probably the last. Although, they were hinting at this in the previous film as well.

Rambo was portrayed as a Vietnam veteran shaped by war to the point where he could never really come home in “First Blood”. Hence, in the sequels, this one-man army was then unleashed on Amerca’s enemies.

“Rambo: Last Blood” no longer has anything to do with war traumas or thoughless military interventions, it feels a bit more like the movie “Taken”, but then with Rambo. We find John Rambo where the fourh film has left him: on a ranch in Arizona where he once grew up. He spends his old days in the company of a Mexican lady and her granddaughter Gabrielle, for whom Rambo has taken care as a father. This peaceful existence comes to an end when Gabrielle wants to meet her father in Mexico, against the advice of Rambo. When something happens to Gabrielle, Rambo blames himself and wants revenge.

It's a no-nonsense revenge movie, with lots of blood and action. The final act is kind of satisfactory and entertaining, but the rest of the movie is just bland and unoriginal. Not a very necessary sequel, lets hope that this is really the last in the franchise.

Rating: 3 / 5

Movie Review - Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Director: Adam Wingard
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Rachel House, Alex Ferns
 
Description: Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull island’s mysteries.

Review: The world has now learned of the existence of a second world far beneeath our earth, and the Monarch orgination knows that Gozilla is there to protect humanity from oher monsters (Titans). Kong now lives in that Hollow Earth and searched daily in vain for conspecifics. But then suddenly a signal turns up.

“Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” is a lot, but not boring. Godzilla himself doesn’t get particularly much attention, but the build-up toward a spectacular fight is exciting. The human characters have a fun adventure and Kong’s journey also captivates because the emotions are aptly portrayed. You easily empathize with Kong, more then with the humans. Because their characters are a bit flat. But these kinds of movies you don’t go and see for them.

Dan Stevens introduces a new character, whom I really liked. And I liked his dynamic with Brian Tyree Henry’s character.

The universe has expanded a bit again. Kong remains a hero. “Godzilla X Kong: The new Empire” is a successful new installement, a simple but entertaining movie. Exactly what you expect from a monster movie like this.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders

Title: Don’t Let Her Stay
Author: Nicola Sanders
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2023
 
Description: Joanne knows how lucky she is. Richard is a wonderful husband, Evie is the most gorgeous baby girl, they live in a beautiful house… Life couldn’t be better.
 
Until Richard’s twenty-year-old daughter Chloe turns up. Chloe hasn’t spoken to her father since the day he married Joanne two years ago. But Chloe wants to make peace. She’ll even move in for a few weeks to help Joanne with the new baby.
 
It sounds perfect, but then things happened that make Joanne feel like she’s losing her mind, she begins to wonder: is Chloe really here to help? Or has Joanne made a terrible mistake by letting her move in? And is it too late to ask her to leave?
 
Review: Joanne and her husband Richard are living a great life, with their baby daughter Evie. Everything seems perfect. Until Richard’s twenty-year-old daughter decides to show up. Richard is of course over the moon about it, having not spoken to her in two years. And Joanne is happy for her husband and really could use some help with Evie. But Chloe acts strange around Joanne and something is off with her. And she is the only one that seems to see that.
 
The book starts a bit slow, but eventually the pace picks up and you go through it fairly fast. It’s very clear from the get go, that Chloe is bad news. She is insufferable, annoying, strange, spoiled and just highly unlikeable. The things Chloe says and does are just unacceptable and I never understand how Joanne lets her get away with all this. Richard isn’t helpful either, since he always picks Chloe’s side. Which I can understand at first. He’s his daughter and Richard is glad to have her back in his life. But both Chloe and Joanne accuse each other of the most outrages things and he seems to believe only Chloe. When she is the unreliable one in the story.
 
The book has some twists at the end. Totally not credible and because of this, some of the events happening up until this reveal make absolutely no sense whatsoever. It makes Richard’s rhyme and reason even dumber then I initially thought.
 
Everyone in this book is suspicious from the get go (everyone but the dog Oscar, loved him), but the most obvious scenarios that you might think of while reading the book, are the ones turning out to be the truth. You’re led to believe certain things, but you already know where it is going. And they throw in a final twist, like it is a big shocker. It wasn’t.
 
It’s a very easy read, enjoyable enough to finish, but those final twists really ruined it for me.
 
Rating: 2/ 5