tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64691818752995013262024-03-17T13:15:25.351+01:00 OctoberskyJoyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.comBlogger3899125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-31700418445639783152024-03-17T13:14:00.000+01:002024-03-17T13:14:07.810+01:0020s Movie Review - Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnH1C93fFUZ1j2bo_G1VroPXw8JauAvNsjOFk6uC_xfM128XIvtPA2ZpIf9JaQD12OcR9QxRiCT2k4GiYOrZEoGEx2x23WjQDk6ooTCr-1S-QzPY1ZYhMfexFUbpF_l0BRda_Pe3ksoNIFxRL0opyNmu4m0IB79Kwl0LQRK8MFsRazPvhMbAqJx8Odgg/s350/DungeonsAndDragonsMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="236" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSnH1C93fFUZ1j2bo_G1VroPXw8JauAvNsjOFk6uC_xfM128XIvtPA2ZpIf9JaQD12OcR9QxRiCT2k4GiYOrZEoGEx2x23WjQDk6ooTCr-1S-QzPY1ZYhMfexFUbpF_l0BRda_Pe3ksoNIFxRL0opyNmu4m0IB79Kwl0LQRK8MFsRazPvhMbAqJx8Odgg/w135-h200/DungeonsAndDragonsMoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">John Francis Daley, Jonathan
Goldstein<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fantasy/
Adventure/ Action/ Comedy<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 134
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Chris Pine,
Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> A charming
thief (Chris Pine) and a band of unlikely adventurers embark on an epic quest
to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they tun afoul of
the wrong people.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> After a theft that went wrong, Edgin and Holga try to get their lives
back on track. This is harder than expected, as one of their friends seems to
have betrayed them. To set things right and prove himself to his daughter, Edgin
joins Holga and other magical misfits on an epic adventure full of bizarre
monsters and plans that don’t always go according to plan.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Dungeons & Dragons:
Honor Among Thieves” is a blockbuster the way we know them: special effects,
action spectacle, funny main characters and an okay story. Yet the film
distinguishes itself by cleverly making fun of both the game on which it is
based on and the fantasy genre. The simplicity of the story and characters are
also a definite plus.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Although a wide audience can
enjoy this film, fans of the original game are rearded. Many typical things
from the game occur: spells, failed plans and unnecessarily long backstories give
the film a fairly authentic tone. But the writers took some creative liberties
and this worked really well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The magical side of the
world where the story takes place is used in the craziest way. It gives the
film a refreshing quirkiness. Aside from the CGI, there are also lots of practical
effects and remarkable costumes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Dungeons & Dragons:
Honor Among Thieves” makes for a great viewing experience, which I now wished I
had seen in the cinema. A strong cast portraying fun characters, and enjoyable world
and setting with an entertaining story. A movie I will definitely rewatch at
some point.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-50409532306969188792024-03-17T12:52:00.000+01:002024-03-17T12:52:26.533+01:0020s Movie Review - The Silencing<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBc7ukoEsFJurp49xv0h69147M-8bZvbjQ97P6QNwmNdHy20L3xSPJHpO8NDTldcOnxxHVceNkOgMe4FuOfn-8ZJXcRbLAPDyhJP-D6_On7iehTHIwA8G5n_bJmvjJtapks7auCJc0oPv6DiKY15roUisWZjKZFN89SLPE-7ngk4PbiE4uwGkgyLd4P0/s3000/SilencingMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2025" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBc7ukoEsFJurp49xv0h69147M-8bZvbjQ97P6QNwmNdHy20L3xSPJHpO8NDTldcOnxxHVceNkOgMe4FuOfn-8ZJXcRbLAPDyhJP-D6_On7iehTHIwA8G5n_bJmvjJtapks7auCJc0oPv6DiKY15roUisWZjKZFN89SLPE-7ngk4PbiE4uwGkgyLd4P0/w135-h200/SilencingMoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Robin Pront<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Action/
Crime/ Mystery/ Thriller<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 93
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2020<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau, Annabelle Wallis, Zahn McClarnon, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jason
Jazrawy, Melanie Srofano, Charlotte Lindsay Marrow</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> A reformed
hunter (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) living in isolation on a wildlife sanctuary
becomes involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse when he and the local Sheriff
(Annabelle Wallis) set out to track a vicious killer who may have kidnapped his
daughter years ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Rayburn Swanson lives alone on a wildlife sanctuary. After his daughter
disappeared 4 years ago, he lives a life of solitude and protects the area.
When a mysterious killer appears in this sanctuary, he and the local Sheriff
try to figure out who he is and if he might have been involved in his daughter’s
disappearance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The setting is perfect for a
thriller like this, somewhere in the chilly woods in northern US. The film is
nowhere remarkable or original, but it’s engaging and suspenseful and I don’t
get all the negative reviews this film is getting.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The script aims higher then
a no-nonsense and taut thriller about the search for a killer. Director Robin
Pront gives the characters more depth increase dramatic potential. And that’s successful
for most part. The Sheriff dealing with a moral dilemma, Rayburn’s personal
demons.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The film is somewhat
predictable, but overall it’s a pretty solid thriller that I really enjoyed and
kept me engaged the full runtime.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-10466888698893802882024-03-16T16:43:00.000+01:002024-03-16T16:43:14.762+01:00Book Review - A LIttle Life by Hanya Yanagihara<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgss_qbgzt5Nur2jAPxD6J-jl3qhXgZMa_FpS1rfDsV9OxZMRWZf-FjvlwLhqTV1BIl9t9t8bDzRTkd_TDnKNMjLIyFS0U7Y6_BVbJNfQruIV5aGBulhhbqjzloZTAFfX-NcCppCQPZMKR4k1dwZPTRUkvFBpwC41Ul9jcYCmACSq4BlwVbkZzEsdtyso/s1200/ALIttleLifeBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="790" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgss_qbgzt5Nur2jAPxD6J-jl3qhXgZMa_FpS1rfDsV9OxZMRWZf-FjvlwLhqTV1BIl9t9t8bDzRTkd_TDnKNMjLIyFS0U7Y6_BVbJNfQruIV5aGBulhhbqjzloZTAFfX-NcCppCQPZMKR4k1dwZPTRUkvFBpwC41Ul9jcYCmACSq4BlwVbkZzEsdtyso/w132-h200/ALIttleLifeBookCover.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> A Little Life<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Hanya Yanagihara<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Fiction/ Contemporary<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> When four classmates from a small Massachusetts
college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed
only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an
aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter
seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent
firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of
gravity.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction,
success, and price. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is
Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly
broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted
by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to
overcome – but that will define his life forever.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“A Little Life” tells the story of four friends who met in college and
spend their lives together in New York City. There is kind, handsome Willem, an
aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter
seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent
firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of
gravity.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The story focuses mainly on the life of one of these friends, Jude, who
carries with him a traumatic past and as a result not only struggles with himself
but also with the relationships with others. The book discusses various themes such
as friendship, trauma and love. In addition, “A Little Life” beautifully
depicts the complexity of human emotions.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book is both heartbreaking and beautiful, the characters feel real
and their stories touch you to the depth of your soul. It’s very well-written,
with an almost poetic use of language and wonderful sense of detail.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Be prepared that this book deals with very heavy topics of child abuse,
sexual abuse, exploitation, self-harm and suicide. It’s a very sad book and it
got me emotional on several occasions.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author Hanya Yanagihara uses an authorial narrator, who alternately
zooms in on the various characters, giving you as a reader a deeper
understanding of their thoughts and emotions. This makes for a memorable
reading experience. Only downside is that it’s really long and slow paced,
which I felt at some parts of the story.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This book is very emotional, but so beautiful. I understand why so many
people love it and why it’s on so many favorites-lists.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-19619391287125707982024-03-16T10:16:00.000+01:002024-03-16T10:16:08.097+01:00Oldies Movie Review - The Sting<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi-nCveooaV2XcQQ_PE3ukG9hk0G2SFQer5n3fErNxyk_Fbk0nnBfVJxv8M6UiYtBqOHaTBFJ8F066my_BWhxBgDZwG7wb_sTCuLw1pucRhn_oMnmDLKAhXc2x9kyB7Lgj0Kr_bH_EpmiMLPjbLixS2u0z0mYSQzjvtM6FzhCCs-mbIrxtj6ra-o8PMw/s1000/StingMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="624" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi-nCveooaV2XcQQ_PE3ukG9hk0G2SFQer5n3fErNxyk_Fbk0nnBfVJxv8M6UiYtBqOHaTBFJ8F066my_BWhxBgDZwG7wb_sTCuLw1pucRhn_oMnmDLKAhXc2x9kyB7Lgj0Kr_bH_EpmiMLPjbLixS2u0z0mYSQzjvtM6FzhCCs-mbIrxtj6ra-o8PMw/w125-h200/StingMoviePoster.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">George Roy Hill<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Drama/
Comedy/ Crime<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 129
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 1973<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Robert
Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 11: A MOVIE FROM THE 1970S<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Two grifters
(Robert Redford, Paul Newman) team up to pull off the ultimate con.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> After the complete success of cowboy film “Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid”(1969), director George Roy Hill and lead actors Paul Newman and
Robert Redford reunited four years later for the equally successful “The Sting”.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Two small time crooks, Henry
Gondorff and Johnny Hooker, teak up to take on Doyle Lonnogan, using their wits
and slight-of-hand tricks.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“The Sting” is basically a
modern version of Favid and Goliath, with Newman and Redford playing the small
David character and Robert Shaw is the big-time villain. It’s has a good portion
of comedy in it, without becoming a slapstick, which would made this a completely
different movie. “The Sting” has won 7 Oscars (out of 10 nominations) and is
such a joy to watch. I just love young Newman and Redford together.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I really loved this movie
experience, just a bit more than “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">5/
5 <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-42874331959023400152024-03-16T09:58:00.000+01:002024-03-16T10:00:19.430+01:00Movie Review - Dune: Part Two<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGYWPx4aMYiKAczn-KBWQUlhyphenhyphenpuIoKGoHPUJMM6bZsfbB-JW-DS7tr7nvR37IinWxpzNAp47TxSNKb2XwHrX07KD53SmFkVr0zgtEWzXgEHrPH52epgCOQfZtydk54TDulLTtVeqZ5cNj3OqbYJzBJoQiZq8T3ZNBNGqUEFmXFXDlxhm3xjv86Va2MOo/s512/DunePart2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="346" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGYWPx4aMYiKAczn-KBWQUlhyphenhyphenpuIoKGoHPUJMM6bZsfbB-JW-DS7tr7nvR37IinWxpzNAp47TxSNKb2XwHrX07KD53SmFkVr0zgtEWzXgEHrPH52epgCOQfZtydk54TDulLTtVeqZ5cNj3OqbYJzBJoQiZq8T3ZNBNGqUEFmXFXDlxhm3xjv86Va2MOo/w135-h200/DunePart2.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Denis Villeneuve<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Science
Fiction/ Drama/ Action/ Adventure<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 166
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
2024<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler,
Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsg</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">ård, Charlotte Rampling, Léa Seydoux<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Paul
Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking
revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> It’s finally here: Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited second part of his
epic film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel. “Dune: Part Two” offers
an engaging, lucid and spectacular continuation of the story and tells
interesting things about myths, colonialism, ecology, religion and fate. But it
impresses above all with its great visuals.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It is a sequel, because it’s
the second film, but they are not two separate films. They form a whole and one
can not be viewed without the other. Part two picks up when Paul Atreides and
his mother Lady Jessica have been taken in by the Fremen, the indigenous people
of sand planet Arrakis. What follows is the evolution of Duke’s chils Paul into
Maud-Dib, or Lisan al-Gaib. An evolution with extreme consequences.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Villeneuve has focused on
the development of Paul, who brings together moderates and fanatics and struggles
with his identity. The film has a geopolitical and (post-) colonial layer, with
Arrakis as the oil-rich Middle Each, House Atreides as the more progressive
Europe, House Harkonnen as representatives of the nihilistic dictatorships
pursuing unscrupulous colonial policies and the emperor as the puppeteer.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I was very impressed by
Austin Butler, who is a new character and the villain Feyd-Rautha of this
second part. Timothée Chalamet manages again to proof that he can easily lead a
big film. And Rebecca Ferguson, as Lady Jessica, really showed a nice
transformation of her character.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The camerawork is mesmerizing,
the way these amazing action scenes were shot.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I already loved the first
film, but “Dune: Part Two” is even slightly better. It’s a true epic sci-fi
saga, with a complex world with equally complex characters. I just can’t wait
for this saga to continue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 </span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-51914469388298680502024-03-11T19:35:00.000+01:002024-03-11T19:35:06.343+01:00Book Review - The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSVOtfmFoTY55xKdfjJNWiPSHh69u1GM1mvlnIffIe3AcV9tP6lD9e8Km85oJzrOCnVE9SXMa6EYYRcUpcKJqmmJZMSGhPWQmzUUEsccj6mZ10jQ5qPO802Xe7_burd4vw0LA5K6btCC4LXNBEIR7IvumoRpGRcajzeJ4-CPF43FMkjDnGAlZK_QaVGo/s1000/TheHouseAcrossTheLakeBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="657" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSVOtfmFoTY55xKdfjJNWiPSHh69u1GM1mvlnIffIe3AcV9tP6lD9e8Km85oJzrOCnVE9SXMa6EYYRcUpcKJqmmJZMSGhPWQmzUUEsccj6mZ10jQ5qPO802Xe7_burd4vw0LA5K6btCC4LXNBEIR7IvumoRpGRcajzeJ4-CPF43FMkjDnGAlZK_QaVGo/w131-h200/TheHouseAcrossTheLakeBookCover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The House Across the Lake<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Riley Sager<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Thriller/ Mystery<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2022<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Casey Fletcher a recently widowed actress trying to
escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her
family’s lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several
bottles of liquor, she passes time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous
couple who live in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing: a
tech innovator, Tom is rich, and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two
strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other – and the
longer Casey watches – it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom’s marriage is
not as perfect and placid as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes,
Casey becomes consumed with finding out what happened to her. In the process,
she uncovers eerie, darker truths that turn a tale of voyeurism and suspicion
into a story of guilt, obsession and how looks can be deceiving.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Casey has lost her husband, is constantly drinking and lost her acting
job. She is now trying to escape reality by staying at her family’s lake house.
Spying on the people that live in the house across the lake, Tom and Katherine,
is her idea of passing time. When one day she saves Katherine from drowning,
the two become friends. When Katherine all of a sudden goes missing, Casey is
sure her husband Tom has something to do with her disappearance. But the truth
is much more complicated.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Riley Sager is a favorite for me, I have liked all but one of his books.
And I can now add this one as well. I have read all of them now. The setting
for me is already a win. A lake house in autumn time, with only a few people
around. Casey is a complex character: she is troubled because she lost her
husband Len not that long ago. She drinks a lot, but says she is not an
alcoholic. And her acting career is also not going well. Because Casey is almost
always intoxicated, she is an unreliable narrator. One of my favorite things in
thriller books.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book only has a few characters aside from Casey, but you have no
idea who you can trust or not. Because, besides her next door neighbor Eli, all
the people that are staying at their lake houses, are strangers for Casey.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">People had warned me for the crazy twist in this book. And they weren’t
wrong. It’s really nuts and not something you can predict (if you did, you’re
either a liar or a psychic). It is really original and surprising, but it was a
bit too much for me. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. The book
had five-star energy, up until that twist. That’s the reason I knocked of a
full star.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The House Across the Lake” is a really good thriller, solid atmosphere and
great suspense building. And it’s well done by Sager to provide so many twists
and reveals with the story being set at one location (the lake and its
surroundings) and with just a few characters. I just couldn’t really get behind
that crazy twist.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-77917833746616173782024-03-11T19:10:00.000+01:002024-03-11T19:10:44.660+01:00Movie Review - Damsel<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnIx22MjCt-2k5viN_8Z7TEesuURhokDq7npXubm2AeidjL9f19TuKq5r8qCS_eIVxddl6J0UFxAsDaauVPCmwNa9o3itjH4Vo4e5Ll6CKB5uDfuHT5ek1EAjhkMRHLKxiYM2j7TGCWyMzcQdlS4krRCV_SMvNHBxpGrnuGfXceEXI5NBdL9nUJoUFTc/s2000/DamselMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1334" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnIx22MjCt-2k5viN_8Z7TEesuURhokDq7npXubm2AeidjL9f19TuKq5r8qCS_eIVxddl6J0UFxAsDaauVPCmwNa9o3itjH4Vo4e5Ll6CKB5uDfuHT5ek1EAjhkMRHLKxiYM2j7TGCWyMzcQdlS4krRCV_SMvNHBxpGrnuGfXceEXI5NBdL9nUJoUFTc/w133-h200/DamselMoviePoster.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> Juan Carlos <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fresnadillo<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fantasy/
Action<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 110
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
2024<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Robin
Wright, Nick Robinson<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A dutiful
damsel (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the
royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Elodie marries a handsome Prince, so her family can have a more
fortunate life. However, she discovers that the royal family has recruited her
as a sacrifice to pay off an old debt and is thrown into a cave. She will then
have to rely on her wits and willpower to survive.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The term ‘damsel’ is often
used in fairytale-like stories, as the damsel in distress. A woman in need of
help. The damsel in this story, could need some help, but doesn’t have anyone
to lean on. And she perfectly manages on her own. Elodie is portrayed as a
self-reliant young woman.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We don’t get much backstory.
We are introduced to Elodie and her family and dive i</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">nto the story right away.
We don’t learn much about the other girls that had to endure the same fate as
Elodie. The film does flow smoothly and “Damsel” is a very easy watch.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The acting is fine, Millie
Bobby Brown does a good job as Elodie. The rest of the actors don’t get much to
do. Her character only has a short amount of time to really develop, but I did
like following her journey of survival.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The special effects look
really good. The dragon is imposing and really stands out.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Damsel” is a fine fantasy
film, I really enjoyed it and it’s entertaining.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 </span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-38286636455112418092024-03-10T14:31:00.000+01:002024-03-10T14:31:50.159+01:0020s Movie Review - Rebel Moon part 1: A Child of Fire<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaDZjgmVPawP4fX71mfwSYfZ6vA8TqBxhDwtVMmj16Rx1ra0noQz9EpixUGAFido6GvR1hQkkMHZsvj6tE5nEV8S66qxI9B7nYFI1cP4JGNu9kCX4JnFP7PRLkHN6M8QRZUHxRlXSJKHspszgt_DFQkrRT5ICRroZD1VNTNNCpseRqE9gEh9KN09LIo4/s1481/RebelMoonPart1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaDZjgmVPawP4fX71mfwSYfZ6vA8TqBxhDwtVMmj16Rx1ra0noQz9EpixUGAFido6GvR1hQkkMHZsvj6tE5nEV8S66qxI9B7nYFI1cP4JGNu9kCX4JnFP7PRLkHN6M8QRZUHxRlXSJKHspszgt_DFQkrRT5ICRroZD1VNTNNCpseRqE9gEh9KN09LIo4/w135-h200/RebelMoonPart1.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Zack Snyder<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Action/
Adventure/ Science Fiction<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 133
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Sofia
Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Anthony Hopkins</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 10: A SCIENCE FICTION FILM<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When a
peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by
the armies of a tyrannical force, a mysterious stranger (Sofia Boutella) living
among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There are many films out there that have stories and a premise that has
been done before. “Rebel Moon” is one of those movies. It’s set exactly like “Star
Wars” and has the plot of “Seven Samurai”. Very lazy Zack Snyder. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In an oppressed galaxy,
there is a planet with a farming village that supplies grain. The oppressors
have discovered that less grain is bing recorded than produced. They visit the village
and demand almost their entire harvest. Kora, one of the inhabitants, decides
to travel into space to gather a team of warriors who can train her people to
become fighters before the oppressors return.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I guess Snyder had a high
budget, but the CGI looks pretty bad. It looks like a B-movie, but just
slightly better. There is a lot going on in this movie, but not a lot of it is
memorable. And for a so-called sci-fi epic, it’s pretty boring at times.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It’s save to say that I did
not enjoy “Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire”. The sequel is coming to Netflix
in April, which I’m not really interested in.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-8936258926371977982024-03-10T14:28:00.000+01:002024-03-10T14:28:32.835+01:0020s Movie Review - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8J_9rNEy8KjVjDN12K0ikpPo7JaNTqcBjMUmxNYAcyW_jwZZtrKhjpUeNYyW2DayLXWTp3RF0jd4h9g8kmgx2i7zBfidj2m9-SKCt5u1kxSOoe9TzUfIgu_z0wTEHy3u6f8aizSit7e-5pT7slW-d5Zi9VSAGT3qzTPJZYm8Sae76BzF7Cd1DrL6-EtY/s1542/TheBalladofSongbirdsandSnakesMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8J_9rNEy8KjVjDN12K0ikpPo7JaNTqcBjMUmxNYAcyW_jwZZtrKhjpUeNYyW2DayLXWTp3RF0jd4h9g8kmgx2i7zBfidj2m9-SKCt5u1kxSOoe9TzUfIgu_z0wTEHy3u6f8aizSit7e-5pT7slW-d5Zi9VSAGT3qzTPJZYm8Sae76BzF7Cd1DrL6-EtY/w130-h200/TheBalladofSongbirdsandSnakesMoviePoster.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Francis Lawrence<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Action/
Adventure/ Drama<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 157
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Tom Blyth,
Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Coriolanus
Snow (Tom Blyth) mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12
tribute (Rachel Zegler) during th 10<sup>th</sup> Hunger Games.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is the fifth
movie in the Hunger Games franchise, based on the 4-part book series written by
Suzanne Collins. The story is set many years before “The Hunger Games”, before
we meet Katniss Everdeen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In this film we see a world
recently torn apart by war. there were many deaths, but above all there was
hunger. A lot of hunger. Therefore, the instigators of the war, the districts
that must listen to the autocrat in the Capitol, must pay. Every year 24
children, two from each districts, are drawn by a lot and thrown into an arena.
They have to fight each other to the death, only one can come out alive and
will be the winner. And the whole event can be followed on TV.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The “The Hunger Games” books,
was one of the first series I absolutely loved. And I believe they did a
fantastic job with the movies. This prequel came 10 years after the last book, “Mockinjay”,
was released. In 2020, so not that long ago. We jump to the 10<sup>th</sup>
Hunger Games, which seem to be waning in popularity. Dr. Volumnia Gaul wants
the games to continue at all costs. It is up to the students of the prestigious
Academy to turn the children of the districts into a spectacle. They are all
assigned one, and must coach them.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">One of those students is
Coriolanus Snow, the 18-year-old son of a deceased war commander. To the
outside world, his family still has a lot of prestige, power and money, but in
reality he is emaciated, broke and living on soup and cabbage. If he wants to
continue his studies after the Academy, his tribute must win. Lucy Gray Baird
is the poor girl from District 12 that he has to mentor.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Coriolanus Snow is of course
the same person as President Snow, as we met him in “The Hunger Games”, the
relentless, merciless leader of Panem. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of
Songbirds and Snakes” shows you his backstory, of how he went from a hungry
schoolboy to a ruthless tyrant. He falls in love with his tribute, Lucy, which should
show us that he ones had feelings and heart. But somehow, I can never get
behind it, I never feel respect, compassion or sympathy for young Coriolanus. Because
I know who he will become. And although you are rooting for Lucy, her character
didn’t do anything for me. I also didn’t like all the singing, it felt out of
place. Rachel Zegler is a great singer, but you don’t have to use this quality
every moment you get.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Viola Davis plays Volumnia
Gaul, a pretty disturbing character. Loved her. And Peter Dinklage play Casca
Highbottom, the brilliant mind behind the Hunger Games. It’s just a small role,
but he steals every scene just like in “Game of Thrones”. He really fits into
this world. Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman is portrayed by Jason Schwartzman, the
presenter of the Hunger Games. And he has a link to Cesar Flickerman, Stanley
Tucci’s character in the original “The Hunger Games” films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“The Hunger Games: The
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a long sit, with over two and a half hours
of runtime. But when you want to give a character depth and also show a lot of
world-building, it’s necessary. And I didn’t mind, it didn’t feel like more
then 150 minutes. And the actual Hunger Games is also a big part of the movie,
which was really well-done. And it felt like a “Hunger Games”-movie, it fits in
with the other four films. But the movie doesn’t stop right after the Hunger
Games. For we see, and this is very well portrayed, how Coriolanus Snow changes
from that schoolboy into a power-hungry, ruthless man, who will pulverize
anything and anyone in his path towards his goal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Overall, “The Hunger Games:
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a good film, I enjoyed it, but didn’t
care for the characters as much as I did with the other films.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3,5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5<br /> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-48005816533479878942024-03-09T12:14:00.000+01:002024-03-09T12:14:54.670+01:0020s Movie Review - Saw X<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4kNN2nNCobSazHV-vaTtnkIFj6BdQ_cx9EAa2_yKnWYAo09x8-n6_cSpra02NzBWqtKOYFMrSQjSfbOqjjbhWGiETByAapRmoRmH77xY-LxeubD4WFv-WksC3Jb7Fl9qzATYGNvT8tvqgg7DNTgE7UzNYtPcboyM294hBtl150ZbDYW-u_-cESf5ZZk/s914/SawXMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="726" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4kNN2nNCobSazHV-vaTtnkIFj6BdQ_cx9EAa2_yKnWYAo09x8-n6_cSpra02NzBWqtKOYFMrSQjSfbOqjjbhWGiETByAapRmoRmH77xY-LxeubD4WFv-WksC3Jb7Fl9qzATYGNvT8tvqgg7DNTgE7UzNYtPcboyM294hBtl150ZbDYW-u_-cESf5ZZk/w159-h200/SawXMoviePoster.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>Director:
</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;">Kevin Greutert<br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Genre: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Horror/ Thriller<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 118
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Tobin Bell,
Shawnee Smith, Synnove Macody Lund, Stevn Brand, Renata Vaca, Joshua Okamoto,
Octavio Hinojosa, Paulette Hernandez, Costas Mandylor, Michael Beach</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A sick and
desperate John (Tobin Bell) travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical
procedure of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire
operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Jigsaw wants to play games again, and in this tenth film in the “Saw”-series,
John Kramer makes it as bad as possible, too. This installment falls chronologically
after the very first one, providing perfect space to delve into Kramer’s
psyche. Instead of hiding from his victims, this time he is in the middle of
the carnage. Magically, this tenth film manages to make itself indispensable
withing the “Saw” franchise. Enough to pull disconnected fans and skeptics back
over the line.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Unlike its predecessors, the
first half of “Saw X” consists almost entirely of explanation and background. The
storyline offers a deeper look in John Kramer’s motivations, especially why he
took this work so seriously and went over the top. The central plot point is a
life-threatening brain tumor, which leaves him with only a few months to love. Our
of sheer desperation, Kramer goes to Mexico for an expensive experimental
surgery. But after undergoing it, he soon discovers that he has been lied to.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In this group of con men,
Kramer finds his new group of victims and then it is finally time for the
well-known traps. Of course, most viewers come for this part of the film, but
the first hour is certainly not slow or tedious. It presents intriguing character
development.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As mentioned, most people don’t got to a “Saw”
movie for a good plot or intriguing story telling. They want to see blood flow.
“Saw X” has more than enough of this. But not only are the characteristic
elements of the traps present, but Jigsaw’s pupil Amanda is back on display as
well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Saw X” wasn’t really a
movie I was looking forward to, I didn’t believe we needed it. But it was
pleasantly surprised by how good this movie really was. I believe it’s the best
since the first film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-23937666918078304812024-03-03T13:47:00.000+01:002024-03-03T13:47:14.689+01:00Book Review - Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrE-OoHjdX1bnVj2mQ1AE2a7VWqhqlbmw5da1Np-ZfDSrF114k9Tl2H9nk7hRgQpNopjKOBmnxEy6RqnbJuTQBHWhyOjg2rHgiBfwoRLKoFG8nyaR4J9eclFQIXAPrwobOfgZNuAe6Px8wxrVk_zM62USoR9QI77kPZGTf0yQT-RvyFlEzKiA34U1ayHc/s1000/SixCrimsonCranesBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="634" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrE-OoHjdX1bnVj2mQ1AE2a7VWqhqlbmw5da1Np-ZfDSrF114k9Tl2H9nk7hRgQpNopjKOBmnxEy6RqnbJuTQBHWhyOjg2rHgiBfwoRLKoFG8nyaR4J9eclFQIXAPrwobOfgZNuAe6Px8wxrVk_zM62USoR9QI77kPZGTf0yQT-RvyFlEzKiA34U1ayHc/w127-h200/SixCrimsonCranesBookCover.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes # 1)<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Elizbeth Lim<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Fantasy/ Young Adult/ Romance<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2021<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret.
Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on
the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her
mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted.
But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess,
turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must not speak of
it, for every words that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and
uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom
to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial
dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace
the magic she’s been taught all her life to forswear – no matter what the cost.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:
</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Princess
Shiori lives in a world where magic is forbidden. When her stepmother Raikama,
a sorcerer herself, catches Shiori using magic, she banishes the princess and
turns her six brothers into crimson cranes. For every word Shiori speaks, one
brother will die. She has to try and find a way to break the curse.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’m not a fantasy reader, I probably never will be. But this cover spoke
to me and I was really interested in the fairytale-like story it seemed to
have. I wanted to try and see for myself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the book started strong. I was
surprisingly enjoying it very much, loved the writing, the world-building, the
magical elements. I flew through the first 200 pages.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After 200+ pages the book sort of lost me. I didn’t feel anything
interesting happened and I really didn’t enjoy the romance. I love Shiori, but didn’t
care for her romance with Takkan. And this got the overhand in the second half
of the book.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This books main theme is family and that family bond. I really enjoyed
that. I also loved Shiori’s friend Kiki, who was a paper crane, she magically brings
to life. Kiki was actually my favorite character, funny enough.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I do think it’s a beautiful book and understand why it’s so well-loved. I
felt the same for the first 200+ pages, but after that I just lost interest.
And I did not like the ending. I will probably not pick up the second book,
just because of that.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3,5/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-61217166243728044492024-03-02T10:26:00.000+01:002024-03-02T10:26:45.728+01:00Book Review - Sundial by Catriona Ward<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmMf5VTmkLfIdDNX1P1qaDll3bTbr5jJrXia8YxOwDU5nRqsGbbxepswtTdaUhtNN8kjLfr13QmBluMusJurlf4XAO50_3hI3guy6RtSRj_qX1rsmT1xDe3fOAfKA6fDn__498GpKNi0v0eYMDU3vBwE-N24IXYiX4YTa58DzRDNMF110oOFhGey9GCw/s278/SundialBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmMf5VTmkLfIdDNX1P1qaDll3bTbr5jJrXia8YxOwDU5nRqsGbbxepswtTdaUhtNN8kjLfr13QmBluMusJurlf4XAO50_3hI3guy6RtSRj_qX1rsmT1xDe3fOAfKA6fDn__498GpKNi0v0eYMDU3vBwE-N24IXYiX4YTa58DzRDNMF110oOFhGey9GCw/w130-h200/SundialBookCover.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Sundial<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Catriona Ward<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Horror/ Thriller<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2022<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it,
too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her
oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary
friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the
family she left behind. She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to
Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible
choice.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely,
and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave
Sundial alive.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in
the hopes of redeeming their future.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Sundial” is a horror-thriller with a psychological edge to it. Family
ties play a big rol in this book.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rob is a school teacher. She is married to Irving and they have two children,
Callie and Annie. Rob grew up on the ranch Sundial in the Mojave Desert.
Sundial was a dog kennel where experiments with dogs were done by the CIA. The atrocities
they witnessed as children shaped Rob and her sister jack into nevertheless
troubled individuals. Now Rob herself is experiencing aberrant behavior ins one
of the daughters. Her daughter Callie collects animal bones, talks to imaginary
figures and seems to bother her younger sister Annie about everything. Mother
and daughter wage a silent psychological battle that impacts their entire
family. She doesn’t have much use for her husband Irving, either. Irving is one
of those types who constantly cheats on her, and he also exhibits quite a few
sadistic traits towards Rob. Rob decides to go away with Callie for a while. Back
to her childhood home Sundial. She thinks that the past of both herself and
Callie may play a role and she wants to come to terms with it.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Catriona Ward has written “Sundial” for the most part from Rob’s
perspective. But over the course of the story she allows other characters to
speak up as well. This does make it necessary to keep your attention. Ward’s
style is intriguing, she is not straightforward. The further you read, the more
questions arise. And it’s not until the final page that everything becomes
clear. It’s not an easy book to read and it’s really weird. The many flashbacks,
the thoughts of the characters, the strange events, everything is strangely
intertwined.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Sundial” is an intriguing book about a complicated family history and
evokes many emotions. Amazement, horror, misunderstanding. Surely this really
is one dysfunctional family. The atmosphere evoked by the house and the Mojave
Desert is almost as if the house itself is also a character. Dark intimidating,
yet for Rob the basis of her existence. The early chapters are more psychological,
but later on it’s more horror.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Sundial” is a good book, with a lot of depth, but it might be too weird
for most people.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-26183040190892335252024-03-02T09:56:00.000+01:002024-03-02T09:56:16.868+01:00Movie Review - American Fiction<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54K6z5jf3ZH6zQ5mtemywnTux7OxZXFbhPiYR_NzOe8YAjnZ8YU56b6rZPFIhvFN1GUCCI0Ce9N5AOw8I4hpHQMNBBNpD57M5Epuh2BscOY21lVBrrqBj7m6Qi3oj8lEGhQyKpCM9wrjXtmcCg6-u3e1sqTFJ8L_IzgBCNR4K2QFfWzu1SByDTQGd4Zs/s273/AmericanFictionMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54K6z5jf3ZH6zQ5mtemywnTux7OxZXFbhPiYR_NzOe8YAjnZ8YU56b6rZPFIhvFN1GUCCI0Ce9N5AOw8I4hpHQMNBBNpD57M5Epuh2BscOY21lVBrrqBj7m6Qi3oj8lEGhQyKpCM9wrjXtmcCg6-u3e1sqTFJ8L_IzgBCNR4K2QFfWzu1SByDTQGd4Zs/w135-h200/AmericanFictionMoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Cord Jefferson<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Drama/
Comedy<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 117
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
2024<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, Keith
David, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Erika Alexander, Adam Brody, John Ortiz, Raymond
Anthony Thomas<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> A novelist
(Jeffrey Wright) who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from Black
entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart
of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> In “American Fiction”, a struggling writer is offered a big movie deal
for his purposely steretype-filled, accidentally successful novel Fuck. The movie
applies critique of the literary world from Percival Everett’s 2001 satirical
novel “Erasure” to today’s film world.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When author Thelonious “Monk”
Ellison hears from his agent that his books ‘aren’t black enough to sell’, he
writes a novel filled with black stereotype out of frustration. He want the
book to hold a mirror up to the literary world, about their worship of real and
raw stories about the struggles of black people. He calls the book Fuck, pretends
it was written by a fugitive criminal and thinks that makes it unpublishable.
Of course, it becomes a raging success. He gets a 750 thousand advance and a
movie deal.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Debuting director Cord Jefferson
based the screenplay of “American Fiction” on the 2001 satirical novel “Erasure”.
The criticism of the literary circuit from “Erasure” clearly dates back to the
turn of the century. “American Fiction” shifts the focus to a critique of Hollywood.
The actual focus is of course Ellison’s personal life.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ellison is the sole writer
in a family of doctors. They own a beach house and have a live-in help. When h
is fired as a literature professor at a university in California, de decides to
visit his family in Boston. He dislikes them. His brother and sister have
always resented him for being his father’s darling. What follows is a personal story.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I absolutely loved “American
Fiction”. An underdog at the Oscars of 2024, that will most likely not win a
single award, but really deserves a ton of praise. Not only the movie and its
story, but also for actors Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown. Go watch this
film, it’s streaming on Amazon Prime.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 </span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-79599206931566670542024-03-02T09:53:00.000+01:002024-03-02T09:53:00.837+01:0080s Movie Review - Silverado<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQueJ6cHt8HUrLDbpy3PaBJRNMEA9GzVbDIXjCzyeNcW2H3BisyAx55QcQeLjgoygVmO2NBWlbr5S0HI0qIsyZIDZDzM8r7bJfOgHgQtdWy8mi2jQzU3ipfkxkXEDwUYY5pyybaFvWI65H4Tyju1nSKVNnalWYoeUuLq-5w9f6G-EcDirX_AkVz4P51pw/s1000/SilveradoMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="674" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQueJ6cHt8HUrLDbpy3PaBJRNMEA9GzVbDIXjCzyeNcW2H3BisyAx55QcQeLjgoygVmO2NBWlbr5S0HI0qIsyZIDZDzM8r7bJfOgHgQtdWy8mi2jQzU3ipfkxkXEDwUYY5pyybaFvWI65H4Tyju1nSKVNnalWYoeUuLq-5w9f6G-EcDirX_AkVz4P51pw/w135-h200/SilveradoMoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Lawrence Kasdan<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Western/
Action/ Drama/Crime<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 133
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
1985<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Kevin Kline,
Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette,
Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 9: A WESTERN<br /></span></b><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; letter-spacing: 1.15pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></strong><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> A misfit bunch
of friends comes together to right the injustice which exist in a small town
called Silverado.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Four cowboys brought together by fate arrive in Silverado. A series of
events force them to face off against an overpowered force.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In 1985, director Lawrence
Kasdan successfully attempted to bring back the big western to the silver
screen. Even though he does not innovate the genre, he resumes authentic western
mythology and creates an entertaining and adventurous old-fashioned western.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The main reason why “Silverado”
is so long, is that each of the four main characters has their own plot line.
But the movie does not bore for a moment. There is enough action and tension
building to keep one’s attention. Only the subplot surrounding Rosanna Arquette’s
characters seems a bit thrown away and isn’t fleshed out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The four men are cast well.
Kevin Kline is the main protagonist. He plays the dryly comic Paden, who tries
very hard to put his past behind him. Scott Glenn is the very cool Emmett. His
brother Jake is played by Kevin Costner (in his first major role), a young,
carefree spirit. And Danny Glover is Mal, a more serious character partly
because of his personal situation. But he was my favorite.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We get some great supporting
roles by Linda Hunt as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the petite but
feisty saloonkeeper Stella. Brian Dennehy as the corrupt sheriff Cobb. And John
Cleese makes a brief appearance as a quirky sheriff in a town nearby Silverado.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What also lifts “Silverado”
to a higher level is the music by Bruce Broughton. Which is also something I
seem to love about westerns: its music. The film looks stunning. I believe that
“Silverado” is a fine and sadly underrated masterpiece. Even if you’re not a
fan of westerns. I loved it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4,5/
5 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-1962744396157277902024-02-28T19:39:00.000+01:002024-02-28T19:39:10.995+01:00Book Review - The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevff1iV-SRfRX8_pVzJ3k4KPZJ9gOGuNMP-i12UIvMomHocHIyeVYEAZ3kbbd8lhsdhHMll1qDY5UC7UMw9ejFU5lcPlmdhspHNqiNy1IXFp88P5Tuv9ReO7k3a3ew3aru8nRczRfGzc2cdSUiN7-M9dNjhhFYfNcApDG7ocu1dtWXpZJu23VKYJ3P8w/s1841/TheLastDevilToDieBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1841" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevff1iV-SRfRX8_pVzJ3k4KPZJ9gOGuNMP-i12UIvMomHocHIyeVYEAZ3kbbd8lhsdhHMll1qDY5UC7UMw9ejFU5lcPlmdhspHNqiNy1IXFp88P5Tuv9ReO7k3a3ew3aru8nRczRfGzc2cdSUiN7-M9dNjhhFYfNcApDG7ocu1dtWXpZJu23VKYJ3P8w/w131-h200/TheLastDevilToDieBookCover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Title: </b>The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club # 4)<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Richard Osman<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Mystery/ Crime<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club. An
old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he
was protecting has gone missing.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As the gang springs back into action they encounter art forgers, online
fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly
on their tail, has their luck final run out? And who will be the last devil to
die?<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The elderly members of the Thursday Murder Club always know how to get
themselves into the craziest situations, convenient or inconvenient. Such is
the case when, on Boxin Day, an acquaintance of the club becomes the victim of
an unexpected murder. An innocent box filled with heroin worth over one hundred
thousand pounds turns out to be the culprit, but that does not answer the many
questions at play in the Thursday Murder Club.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The Last Devil to Die” is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club
series and for now the last. Author Richard Osman is coming out with a new
mystery series, so no new one for the Thursday Murder Club this year.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I love a good mystery and Osman does it again. And the expressive
characters in this series just stand out. When you’ve spend four books with (most)
of them, you just become one of them. The quartet Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and
Ibrahim are one of the most loveable group of friends I have ever read about. I
like each and every single one of them and can only hope that when I’m that
age, I have a friendship like that. Joyce, not biased because we share a first name,
is still my favorite. And I love her journal entries. She is so wholesome. Ibrahim
is my second favorite, I love his diplomatic and charming nature.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I think it’s possible to read the book as a standalone, but you will
miss out on a few things. You really should read all of them in order. Not only
because you will miss details, but also because it’s a very good and solid
mystery series.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I think “The Last Devil to Die” is my favorite in the series. It’s
packed with emotion. It has so much heart, it’s funny, the mystery is captivating
and the characters are the highlight. I think Richard Osman can do no wrong
when it comes to mystery novels. I can’t wait for his next book.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">4,5/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-12031242581249086922024-02-24T08:59:00.000+01:002024-02-24T08:59:56.115+01:0010s Movie Review - Mary, Queen of Scots<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZdZws3edK6ugIV3M4aqPIj7P2ly5gHLeIAPZF6pgS4sStz8zShcFI5ueZJmTzgtHuztin6eLHm8Hnj8QauDzydUOnacnlOq3eJ50-TtwqBONFaKl_ug4o_L0mhn_HPWjrZN_jTYbbAM62GAcjkAPm9l7PrNtcl1bFaWxcd6qKa_j1ACK1u39rWmdtUA/s1600/MaryQueenOfScotsMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1131" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZdZws3edK6ugIV3M4aqPIj7P2ly5gHLeIAPZF6pgS4sStz8zShcFI5ueZJmTzgtHuztin6eLHm8Hnj8QauDzydUOnacnlOq3eJ50-TtwqBONFaKl_ug4o_L0mhn_HPWjrZN_jTYbbAM62GAcjkAPm9l7PrNtcl1bFaWxcd6qKa_j1ACK1u39rWmdtUA/w141-h200/MaryQueenOfScotsMoviePoster.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Josie Rourke<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Genre: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Drama<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 124
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
2018<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie,
Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Mary Stuart’s
(Saoirse Ronan) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie),
Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
<o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 8: A FILM FROM A EUROPEAN COUNTRY<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> There is a large group of Scots seeking independence from the British. In
the sixteenth century, the two nations sharing an island were formally merged. This
was preceded by a long difficult feud between two queens. The protestant
Elizabeth preferred to see her northern neighbors fall under her empire, though
she had no descendants to take the throne. Neighbor Mary Stuart was Catholic
and led the Scots for nearly 15 years after claiming the throne from the
English.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Mary had already been
widowed after two years of marriage after her French husband lost his life. She
returned to her homeland at eighteen, where her brother took over. Mary had no
intention of getting married again. She extended an outstretched hand to
Elizabeth to deal with each other in peace. In London, people thought very differently.
Elizabeth even sent a possible suitor to Edinburgh in hopes of appeasing Mary
Queen of Scots.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The film features two strong
actresses in the main roles. But it’s a long wait to see Saoirse Ronan and
Margot Robbie eventually share the screen. This encounter produces the most
exciting verbal fireworks of this royal biopic. A lot of intrigue, secret
agendas and scheming precede it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">You should see this film for
the acting alone, Ronan and Robbie are amazing. And it’s a beautifully looking
film with good political mindgames.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3,5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> / 5 </span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-49019318442908003072024-02-24T08:43:00.000+01:002024-02-24T08:43:17.856+01:0020s Movie Review - Thanksgiving<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTC-Gf3VFL5z5IOeRDe6H2xmPNZ2keGs-neBl8zLCxhLGfmjvIOd_n_MxbcLYe9WaX069rxb88nBt-OQGGwfNV8PcxKxLNM1Hm4joE0GhP9G61gS5aLRh2icG_o6XKpdslU-POAa7WetL89y-awYbqrZoJYR_-Bp8M1D1sFVJcLioUofViSeBdjVYRUA/s2100/ThanksgivingMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTC-Gf3VFL5z5IOeRDe6H2xmPNZ2keGs-neBl8zLCxhLGfmjvIOd_n_MxbcLYe9WaX069rxb88nBt-OQGGwfNV8PcxKxLNM1Hm4joE0GhP9G61gS5aLRh2icG_o6XKpdslU-POAa7WetL89y-awYbqrZoJYR_-Bp8M1D1sFVJcLioUofViSeBdjVYRUA/w133-h200/ThanksgivingMoviePoster.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Eli Roth<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Horror/
Thriller<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 106
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Patrick
Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Jalen Thomas Books, Gabriel Davenport, Milo Manheim,
Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After a Black
Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes
Plymouth, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the infamous holiday.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> “Grindhouse” consisted of two B-movies, but Quentin Tarantino and Robert
Rodriguez. It had a fake trailer for a movie called “Thanksgiving”, a slasher
film with 1980s appeal made by Eli Roth. And now, the movie is real.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A department store decides
to start their Black Friday as early as midnight and promises free products for
the first hundred customers. The result is bloody mayhem. A year later, a group
of survivors are tagged in a bizarre message on social media. One by one, they
begin to die.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Director Eli Roth turns a
fake trailer into a real movie. And I got exactly what I was hoping for. I love
slasher films, they are fun. A bunch of awful people being brutally murdered
and we are trying to find out who the killer is. That’s what this is. Roth
doesn’t do anything groundbreaking. What Roth does do is making this film
bloody as hell. And it’s not even his goriest film. Roth manages to pull off
some real original kills. And it has some good humor as well.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Even though I did predict
the eventual killer, “Thanksgiving” is an entertaining slasher. What you except
from it, you get.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">3,5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-33425825688945603582024-02-18T14:46:00.001+01:002024-02-25T16:16:15.927+01:00Book Review - Adrift by Lisa Brideau<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gJupFLyvOK4GXlPvh8hTzw_wO8eskiJAaSXKmyKZjzG29QEZAkQhV85FAmQu8-HFJ80qoxR-c85_4zfRz9ixyFvHLJOcZ9FOvx6RqHIW1cE9vwSVBQGqVkCxvQED-R68wiQ2eYWqYcxMBiaGrLPy3dePLaGv-y_THoUOhGglkYcjajD05o0V2U_eJlY/s400/AdriftBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gJupFLyvOK4GXlPvh8hTzw_wO8eskiJAaSXKmyKZjzG29QEZAkQhV85FAmQu8-HFJ80qoxR-c85_4zfRz9ixyFvHLJOcZ9FOvx6RqHIW1cE9vwSVBQGqVkCxvQED-R68wiQ2eYWqYcxMBiaGrLPy3dePLaGv-y_THoUOhGglkYcjajD05o0V2U_eJlY/w134-h200/AdriftBookCover.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Title:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> Adrift<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Lisa Brideau<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Mystery/ Science Fiction/ Literary<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat in the remote
Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds
a note, but it’s more warning than comfort: Start over. Don’t make yourself known.
Don’t look back.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Ess must have answers. She sails over a turbulent ocean to a town
hundreds of miles away that, she hopes, might offer insight. The chilling clues
she uncovers point to a desperate attempt at erasing her former life. But why?
And someone is watching her… someone who knows she must never learn her truth.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In Ess’s worlds, the earth is precariously balanced at a climate change
tipping point, and she is perched at the edge of a choice: which life does she
want? The one taken from her – and the dangerous secret that was buried – or the
new one she can make for herself?<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“Adrift” is set in a nearby future, at the Canadian coast. Ess wakes up
alone on a sailboat, with no memory of who she is and how she got there. She finds
a note that tells her to start over, don’t make yourself known and don’t look back.
Ess is out for answers to the questions of her past.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It is a truly horrific idea to wake up with no memory, in a strange
place, where no one seems familiar, you don’t know who you are and what has
happened. The start of the book is very strong. You have no idea what is going
on and where the story is heading. You have no clue, just like Ess.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Once the story starts giving you answers, I lost a bit of interest in
the story. Although it’s original, it has some sci-fi elements and environmental
issues in it, I didn’t feel that invested anymore.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The books has excellent character building and the story is complex and
well-written. But I loved the mystery at the start. I felt like we weren’t left
in the dark long enough. And I didn’t really care for the sort-of romance
between Ess and this guy she meets. Her friendship with Yori feels much more
real.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I also found it kind of weird how easy she talked about her ‘amnesia’ to
strangers, when the note clearly stated she shouldn’t make herself known. She
doesn’t know who she can trust and who she already knows or doesn’t know. I
found that strange.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I’m still glad I read “Adrift” because it has a very interesting
premise. And it started out really good. It just didn’t keep my full attention throughout
the rest of the book.<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-13360645755444895392024-02-17T09:55:00.000+01:002024-02-17T09:55:27.951+01:0020s Movie Review - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtsRPMD61Ej86g6ir_4QBR-2X8XfzUrGaen49fYHl_cLaEVup53GhskCrDIuUaF0Uy0tc5Vu-AXsJVst5eg2KmtEHK7w4qcjl2ZioROodq1ezYDClr7CFqMoSB1_Dvwfu2nturd18wdhXBconcwV5jGtUNSGsav5sgBZtGOsMjwvtxUX-Gryr84w3bUw/s3000/AreYouThereGodIt'sMeMargaret.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1946" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtsRPMD61Ej86g6ir_4QBR-2X8XfzUrGaen49fYHl_cLaEVup53GhskCrDIuUaF0Uy0tc5Vu-AXsJVst5eg2KmtEHK7w4qcjl2ZioROodq1ezYDClr7CFqMoSB1_Dvwfu2nturd18wdhXBconcwV5jGtUNSGsav5sgBZtGOsMjwvtxUX-Gryr84w3bUw/w130-h200/AreYouThereGodIt'sMeMargaret.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Kelly Fremon Craig<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Comedy/
Family/ Drama<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 106
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Rachel McAdams,
Abby Ryder Fortson, Bennie Safdie, Kathy Bates</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 7: A FILM DIRECTED BY A WOMAN<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When her
family moves from the city to the suburbs, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson)
navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> It’s 1970. Margaret, an 11-year-old girl, is in the top grade of
elementary school and right on the verge of puberty. With a Jewish father and a
Christian mother, she is searching for the religion that best suits her. This while
she has to get used to a new environment, as their family just moves from New
York City to the suburbs of new Jersey.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The film shows what goes
through the mind of an 11-year-old. Of course at this age you worry about your
first kiss, your body changing, friendships.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The film doesn’t shy away
from more mature themes either. For example, Margaret and her friends hope to
get their period so that they can go through life as ‘real women’ sooner. When one
of her friends actually gets it, we don’t see relief, but a crying girl on the
toilet. Scared and uncertain. “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” puts you
in the shoes of a young adolescent and creates appropriate situations around
it, both serious and funny. Well balanced.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The film feels realistic in
everything, with the idea that we get a glimpse into a moment in this family’s
life. The acting high level. Abby Ryder Fortson play the titual Margaret so
well. Her mother is portrayed by Rachel McAdams, where she proofs again why she
is one of my all-time favorites. Her role is super strong and I loved her
character in it as well. Kathy Bates is a scene stealer as always, playing Margaret’s
grandmother.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Margaret seeks support and
advice from God, but actually she doesn’t even know of she believes in God. This
highlights the uncertainty you can experience at this age. You often allow
yourself to be led by you parents or influenced by the environment. It is good
that the film shows this and then also show the opposites, with Margaret slowly
starting to form her own opinion throughout the film.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Are You There God? It’s Me,
Margaret” is a beautiful coming-of-age film in which the title character
discovers her own identity in a new environment, with appropriate dramatic moment
entirely in service of the characters. A perfect movie to make you feel good.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">4,5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-8893572787342175112024-02-17T09:37:00.000+01:002024-02-17T09:37:32.472+01:00Book Review - Foe by Iain Reid<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKB9B3weAFKuil1yxR4N2HvOOkxrf2TLGLME2jAmjvAlw6-JgUY_aZrL0NRUhd8lX8OOtE9x5OJfubZTrMAVItzI1kRKED1oH98uQ8YlRtl8Or3U4YVEBQ-Wb0hAG1AAVH8iBD7QqpaQSNwLVM-3GEU7F7_VuzxIq560C6c5ZP_eRsgrfb7MoAQ2yWY8/s1000/FoeBookCover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="653" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwKB9B3weAFKuil1yxR4N2HvOOkxrf2TLGLME2jAmjvAlw6-JgUY_aZrL0NRUhd8lX8OOtE9x5OJfubZTrMAVItzI1kRKED1oH98uQ8YlRtl8Or3U4YVEBQ-Wb0hAG1AAVH8iBD7QqpaQSNwLVM-3GEU7F7_VuzxIq560C6c5ZP_eRsgrfb7MoAQ2yWY8/w131-h200/FoeBookCover1.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Foe<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Iain Reid<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Horror/ Science Fiction/ Thriller<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2018<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Junior and Henriette live a comfortable, solitary
life on their farm, far from the city lights, but in close quarters with each
other. One dat, a stranger from the city arrives with alarming Junior has been
randomly selected to travel far away from the farm… very far away. the most
unusual part? Arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves,
Henrietta won’t have a chance to miss him, because she won’t be left alone –
not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This is one of those book you’d best read going in blind. Knowing noting
more than just the short synopsis is the best way to experience this story.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In “Foe” the married couple Junior and Hen live a quiet life on a farm. They
live far away from the city. Junior works at the factory and likes things as
they are. Even though they have no friends and almost every day is pretty much
the same. Hen, on the other hand, feels a bit trapped and the everyday rut. When
one day a man named Terrance tells them they have been placed in a lottery in
which people can be chosen to participate in a special space mission. From that
day forward, Junior and hen’s peaceful life is taking a turn.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book is fairly slow, especially at the start. Nothing spectacular
really happens. This book is focused on the characters. But with all this, I
just could not put this book down. Because we follow the story from Junior’s perspective,
and we learn about his thoughts, we get to know him very well. His life with Hen,
their relationship, how he’s dealing with the changes. Basically, the entire
book is set at the farm, following these few characters. The way author Iain
Reid made this so interesting, it’s very well done.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The books is a mix of thriller, horror and science fiction. That last
part is added very subtly, which I really loved. I’m fairly new to the sci-fi
genre when it comes to book and after reading “Foe” I would really love to read
more books in this genre.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The book has a great twist, that had my jaw dropping to the floor. The
ending is open, sort of. Or at least open for interpretation. The story isn’t very
eventful, but I just wanted to keep reading. It was such an intriguing book,
loved every minute of it.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">5/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-38853354034419781642024-02-17T09:07:00.001+01:002024-02-17T09:07:32.478+01:0020s Movie Review - No Hard Feelings<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaNO7IUooD5Gpc2OcyQ8MbwHBvf_5NLWSIWvi8KnU5qhITpJUF-0Wljv-UjjvQsQ42gNbjPKVgJej3Zz3os3SvmzzmK17bYOuDLn9_9GCfJyJaGTOuN8vKrISAzXkMrwTWJ3liyM278af5uK7zct0Cx233OdzlPL33w4GCzWFaFKDDL6nMfl46MG2Ruk/s1482/NoHardFeelingsMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbaNO7IUooD5Gpc2OcyQ8MbwHBvf_5NLWSIWvi8KnU5qhITpJUF-0Wljv-UjjvQsQ42gNbjPKVgJej3Zz3os3SvmzzmK17bYOuDLn9_9GCfJyJaGTOuN8vKrISAzXkMrwTWJ3liyM278af5uK7zct0Cx233OdzlPL33w4GCzWFaFKDDL6nMfl46MG2Ruk/w135-h200/NoHardFeelingsMoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Gene Stupnitsky<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Comedy<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 103
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Jennifer
Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales,
Scott MacArthur, Kyle Mooney</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the brink
of losing her home, Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) finds an intriguing job losing:
helicopter parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old
son (Andrew Barth Feldman) out of his shell before college. She has one summer
to make him a man or die trying.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> When Maddie Barker’s car is repossessed, she can no longer work as an
Uber driver and is in danger of losing her home. She finds an ad from two overprotective
parents, asking for a girl who can bring their awkward 19-year old son Percy
out of his shell. In exchange, they promise her a car with which she can pay of
her debts to save her childhood home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“No Hard Feelings” is
marketed as a romantic comedy. The supposed romance in this film is
cringeworthy, it feels wrong. The comedy is more present, even though that’s
not its strongest suit either. It has its moments, but it’s mainly two very opposite
people getting into awkward situations.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Lawrence plays
Maddie. She is mess, very outspoken, really unlikeable at the start of the
film. A lot of clichés come in here. Her trying to romance a young 19-year-old
guy still feels weird, but their eventual friendship does work.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Not that great, not Lawrence’s
best work by far. But funny enough for the time being.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">2,5</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-13051261094139436182024-02-11T12:46:00.000+01:002024-02-11T12:46:24.768+01:00Book Review - All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQvEqZUgRXm3EE2v2RXFcwI0sk0tmQUfO7KiQa5E6-vFdZOjvv0YOPZkrIlI-FZ0XjOu2hKaXlsOt-ITBLmRmtM8sdvRI98t7QiDs4t18YLVGseZPxDDiUDubKxRBBTjc4P_GaSrWiLMZh5MXj2LHZ1XTXoQhUw-ncaDBp1Mb3EGFOIyqYoW9TVudyXM/s1000/AllTheDangerousThingsBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="658" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQvEqZUgRXm3EE2v2RXFcwI0sk0tmQUfO7KiQa5E6-vFdZOjvv0YOPZkrIlI-FZ0XjOu2hKaXlsOt-ITBLmRmtM8sdvRI98t7QiDs4t18YLVGseZPxDDiUDubKxRBBTjc4P_GaSrWiLMZh5MXj2LHZ1XTXoQhUw-ncaDBp1Mb3EGFOIyqYoW9TVudyXM/w132-h200/AllTheDangerousThingsBookCover.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">All the Dangerous Things<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Stacy Willingham<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Thriller/ Mystery<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever:
her son Mason was take out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and
her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads
for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot
rest until mason is returned to her, literally. Except for the occasional nap
or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she
knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness
or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster – but his
interest in Isabelle’s past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired
with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own
childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of
mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust.. including herself.
But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After her very successful debut novel “A Flicker in the Dark”, author
Stacy Willingham is back with “All the Dangerous Things”. A compelling mystery
that focuses on the nightmare of a mother and the dangerous secrets she
discovers while looking for the truth. “A Flicker in the Dark” was a good book,
I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. The same goes for “All the
Dangerous Things” even though I liked it a little bit more.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We meet Isabelle, a mother whose son Mason was taken from his crib in
the middle of the night, now one year ago. They never found him or anything
that would lead to a suspect. But Isabelle never managed to let go. When she
agrees to be interviewed for a true-crime podcast, Isabelle discovers dark
secrets that could lead her to the truth. And she doesn’t know who she can and cannot
trust, including herself.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We follow the story from Isabelle’s perspective. Because she is mentally
unstable due to the lack of sleep and her past as a sleepwalker, she is an unreliable
narrator. I always love that trope. We also jump back in time a couple of
times, where we learn about her life as a child and how she met her husband
Ben, whom she is now separated from.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It takes some time to get into the book, it’s not a very fast paced
story. But eventually you really become invested and there are some good twists
and turns. There was one that I didn’t particularly liked, but overall the
twist were surprising and strong.<br /></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you have liked or loved Stacy Willingham’s first book, you will also
enjoy “All the Dangerous Things”. A very solid thriller, with strong character
building and some nice twists.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3,5/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-13904409950575971752024-02-10T10:53:00.000+01:002024-02-10T10:53:04.536+01:0000s Movie Review - The Ruins<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOUokcoAe7NarLJxdKhqIq_Qpu9y7DWKTce3LdNfOxKnxNFHyXcl5N_tGLBKMnKfxBLgP5Nsl00V1HRys5o31ewukxdMDOSu7-Xc17WFBZYYDoqoTfG3ixdMEn4vqEJMxiqdnpXH8NzH7bXaWjPbzY0EFgnOwmZSmDO1NqBMZNBdtfnUQ1PwEJfIPuMg/s1000/RuinsMoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="672" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOUokcoAe7NarLJxdKhqIq_Qpu9y7DWKTce3LdNfOxKnxNFHyXcl5N_tGLBKMnKfxBLgP5Nsl00V1HRys5o31ewukxdMDOSu7-Xc17WFBZYYDoqoTfG3ixdMEn4vqEJMxiqdnpXH8NzH7bXaWjPbzY0EFgnOwmZSmDO1NqBMZNBdtfnUQ1PwEJfIPuMg/w134-h200/RuinsMoviePoster.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Carter Smith<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Horror/
Thriller/ Adventure<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 90
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Year:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">
2008<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Shawn
Ashmore, Jena Malone, Jonathan Tucker, Laura Ramsey, Joe Anderson</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> A leisurely
Mexican holiday takes a turn for the worse when a group of friends and a fellow
tourist embark on a remote archaeological dig in the jungle, where something
evil lives among the ruins.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">WEEK 6: A FILM BASED ON A BOOK<br /></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> “The Ruins” is based on the book by author Scott B Smith. Two girlfriends,
Amy and Stacy, are vacationing in Mexico with their boyfriends Jeff and Eric.
Relaxing by the pool, sunbathing and drinking cocktail; heaven on earth. To end
the last say still somewhat active, they decide to tag along with a German tourist,
whose brother is working at an archaeologic ruin. This tendril-covered pyramid
from the Mayan civilization is not on any tourist maps. But they are in for one
last adventure before flying back home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Because four young friends
vacationing before ending up in the slaughterhouse is not terribly original, a
solution has been found. The intro is pretty quick and very early on in the
movie, the end up at the ruins. And that is where the movie really begins.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While there, the sense of
adventure is silently replaced by claustrophobia. Fear of leaving the ruin,
fear of staying there as well. Things gets creepy and bloody and the film is a
lot more surprising and original as you might expect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The characters aren’t that
fleshed out though. This is not because of the actors, because they are
convincing enough. But the dialogues are a but wooden and the characters lack
background information. Jeff is the only one we get to know a bit better, but
it’s still more on the surface.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Besides this, “The Ruins” is
a pretty good horror movie, scary enough and it has just the right length. I
enjoyed it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3,5
/ 5 </span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-71158746448788033822024-02-10T10:30:00.001+01:002024-02-10T10:30:06.628+01:00Book Review - The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_XwaeUTiz4nSev8H3p4fA3XactMzkeNqMqhMVWXFXz8JQLaHR0i8GbC7T0hnC-vHa7su47yq0vIuLccSdnGB3Wt5O4tipZQTIN_uDuwEcYmtScoAROz28Qw3NPRe09JiJuCmKlAbxItipJms0zUFdonn3BsQNQLOnmozhA3Oe4Lkm4Lt6KPaXo8QAR8/s1000/SundownMotelBookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_XwaeUTiz4nSev8H3p4fA3XactMzkeNqMqhMVWXFXz8JQLaHR0i8GbC7T0hnC-vHa7su47yq0vIuLccSdnGB3Wt5O4tipZQTIN_uDuwEcYmtScoAROz28Qw3NPRe09JiJuCmKlAbxItipJms0zUFdonn3BsQNQLOnmozhA3Oe4Lkm4Lt6KPaXo8QAR8/w133-h200/SundownMotelBookCover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Title: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Sun Down Motel<br /></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Author: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Simone St. James<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Thriller/ Mystery<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Published:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 2020<br /><o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel
ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Upstate New York, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a
place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing
through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their
secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to new York
City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s
determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I used to think I didn’t like supernatural thrillers. Until I discovered
Simone St. James. “The Sun Down Motel” is the third novel that I read by this
author and I’m very confident to say that she is an all-time favorite author
for me now.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The Sun Down Motel” follows two timelines, set in a small town called
Fall, set in the state of New York. A town where it seems time stood still. The
young Carly Kirk travels to this town, trying to figure out the truth about her
aunt Viv Delaney, who went missing in 1982, while working the night shift at
the Sun Down Motel. When Carly manages to get that same job at the now rundown
motel, she soon figures out something is not right in this place.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We read two timelines. The one of Carly, in present day, digging deep to
find out what happened to her aunt all those years ago. The other timeline
follows her aunt Viv, as she is working at the Sun Down and following a mystery
of her own.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One of my favorite elements in thrillers is a the dual timeline. I just
enjoy reading about a historic event, preferably a cold case, and then
following a person I the present that is trying to unravel the mystery. Simone
St. James sets her books up lie this and this is a format that really works for
me. Her writing is beautiful and also accessible. And her book also have a
supernatural element, which I didn’t know I liked until I read her books.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“The Sun Down Motel” has a spooky, eerie atmosphere, you know something’s
up and it’s genuinely creepy at times. Both female characters are compelling
and complex women, interesting to you about. And the story is well-crafted and
has some masterful plotting, even though they aren’t many shocking twist or
reveals. This was a book I just couldn’t put down. And I want to read
everything that Simone St. James has written.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">5/ 5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6469181875299501326.post-84471003266207848222024-02-10T10:26:00.000+01:002024-02-10T10:26:59.965+01:0020s Movie Review - Maggie Moore(s)<div style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLWsmyVqYEhOLYwrl7Z79VcmOhRdmiSnALaL-SlXjFpzgBCd1EaH7jzUlIU-uPI3q4TKfbrpzHAn9DIyzCRyPNmUu3TqNsdYB98hNyhJKjnppD-Ie_edCH-ooMxovqLwtRsthkaqGAkjwo-5ARRAgKwMDE7JE7BSFGxzfPeB8PcnvbnpncURT3Sm-Xlw/s273/MaggieMoore(s)MoviePoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLWsmyVqYEhOLYwrl7Z79VcmOhRdmiSnALaL-SlXjFpzgBCd1EaH7jzUlIU-uPI3q4TKfbrpzHAn9DIyzCRyPNmUu3TqNsdYB98hNyhJKjnppD-Ie_edCH-ooMxovqLwtRsthkaqGAkjwo-5ARRAgKwMDE7JE7BSFGxzfPeB8PcnvbnpncURT3Sm-Xlw/w135-h200/MaggieMoore(s)MoviePoster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Director:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 105%;"> <strong><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">John Slattery<br /></span></strong></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Genre: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Comedy/
Crime/ Mystery<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Runtime:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> 99
minutes<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;">Year:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%;"> 2023<br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Starring:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Jon Hamm,
Tina Fey, Micah Stock, Nick Mohammed, Happy Anderson, Mary Holland, Louisa
Krause</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Description: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Police Chief
Sanders (Jon Hamm) investigates the bizarre murders of two women with the same
name and unravels a web of small-town lies. He meets and quickly falls for Rita
(Tina Fey), a nosy neighbor who is eager to help solve the mystery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><o:p></o:p></span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Review:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Jay’s wife discovers her husband is running his sandwich store in a shady
way. To make sure she keeps quiet, Jay hires someone to threaten her. Instead,
she is killed, forcing Jay to take further measures to lead the police astray.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Jay’s business is a sandwich
store like Subway of sorts. As a franchise, he actually has to buy from the
main company’s supplier. He saves a lot of money by illegally purchasing his
supplies from someone else: he gets spoiled ingredients for next to nothing in
exchange for supplying obscure photos. Jay’s wife discovers this and her world
collapses.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The wife is named Maggie
Moore and not much later another Maggie Moore is found dead. Small-town cop
Sanders investigates, discovering a web of lies.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">John Slattery, known for his
roles in the TV show “Mad Men” and Oscar-winning movie “Spotlight”, takes on
the role of director this time. It’s clear he was inspired by the Coen
Brothers, most specifically “Fargo”. It never reaches the level of any of the
Coen Brothers’ movies, it feels a bit messy and clumsy at times.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It’s a comic crime story,
which has some good moments. But it’s overall a pretty basic and forgettable
movie. Not great, not bad, just okay.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rating: 3</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">/ 5 <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Joyce Heinenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14294599989966162745noreply@blogger.com0