Book Review - The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Series: -
Author: TJ Klune
 
Description: A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.
 
Review: Linus Baker leads a quiet, scheduled life and is a social worker with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is given the special assignment of investigating whether six magically gifted at-risk youngsters living in an orphanage on a small island may pose too great a danger to society.
 
The orphanage is home to six youngster: a curious motley crew that includes Talia (a girl gnome), Theodore (a winged dragon), Phee (a forest Sprite), Chauncey (a green, jellyfish-like creature), Sal (a boy who undergoes a miraculous transformation when frightened) and Lucy (a six-year-old Antichrist).
 
Arthur Parnassus us the man in charge of the orphanage, and he wants to prevent closure, even if it means giving away his own secret. Linus goes to live on the island for a month. As he gradually abandons his prejudice and builds a bond not only with the children, but also with Athur, he faces a dilemma: should he follow the official rules or his heart.
 
How I enjoyed this book. It stole my heart from the first sentence. It touched me and I was completely overwhelmed by it. This book is a warm hug and a perfect comfort read.
 
Linus Baker is a character you come to love, as are all the children and Arthur, who you all get to know really well. It tells a story about the outsiders and how they are judge, without people even knowing them or their stories. I felt so much sympathy for all these characters.
Even though I don’t think this is a book for everyone, I would still recommend it to anyone who is looking to read something completely different. I was recommended this and I would have never picked it up otherwise. And I am so glad I did, because “The House in the Cerulean Sea” is a new favorite, and probably the best book I read this year.  
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Disenchanted

Director: Adam Shankman
Genre: Science Fiction/ Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Amy Adam, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Gabriella Baldacchino, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jayma Mays, Osar Nuñez, Alan Tudyk
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 47: A DISNEY LIVE-ACTION MOVIE
 
Description: Fifteen years after her happily ever after, Giselle (Amy Adams) questions her happiness, inadvertently turning the lives of those in the real world and Andalasia upside down in the process.

Review: It has been fifteen years since Amy Adams showed us how fairy-tale New York can e in “Enchanted”. Time for a new chapter of this popular musical. A sequel, showing us what happens after ‘happily ever after’.

In order to give it a fresh touch, there is a change of locations, where Giselle, her now husband Robert, now teenage daughter Morgan and a new daughter Sofia, move to the suburbs of Morganville. Giselle misses the fairytale life she had in Andalasia, wishing for it back.

Amy Adams is enchanting, just like in the first film. She is accompanied by Maya Rudolph this time. And these two have more chemistry than Adams has with Patrick Dempsey. The duet the two have is the absolute highlight of the film.

“Disenchanted” is a fun time for the whole family, true Disney magic coming to life. But it never lives up to “Enchanted”.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - Assassin's Creed

Director: Justin Kurzel
Genre: Fantasy/ Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Charlotte Rampling, Michael Kenneth Wiliams

Description: Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha and gains the skills of a Maser Assassin, before taking on the secret Templar society.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 46: A MOVIE BASED ON A VIDEOGAME
 
Review: Movies based on videogames aren’t really successful, with a few exceptions of course. This time, it’s “Assassin’s Creed”. The film has an incredible cast and it looks amazing. But its execution is a soulless misinterpretation of the game, that might even be on the list of worse videogame adaptations ever made.

The real potential of “Assassin’s Creed” lies in three unique elements, all of which were butchered. First, “Assassin’s Creed” belongs to the sci-di genre, but this is extremely poorly utilized. The basic elements are still accurate: Abstergo is a secretive company that kidnaps people from certain bloodlines, such as Callum Lynch, to put them in the so-called Animus. An imaginative device that finds in DNA the genetic memories of one’s ancestors, and creates a holodeck-like simulation in which history can be experienced. In the game, these simulations show a fine collision between history and technology. In the film Callum has zero influence on the simulation. He simply undergoes the story as Aguilar.

Second, the relationship between Callum Lynch and his ancestor Aguilar. The game always works with two storylines, where the Animus driver and ancestor are quite different but gradually grow together. This “synchronization” is hardly named in the film. It also never plays with themes of reality or identity. The scenes in medieval Spain are simply three long flashbacks that serve only as action scenes or plot vehicles.

Finally, the mysterious story is told with the subtlety of a children’s series. For example, the film opens with a piece of text, leaving nothing in the dark. Where the mystery slowly unveils in the game series, there is hardly any subtlety present in the film.

They put so much effort in the visuals of the film, but totally ignored the essence of the game’s story. And also completely wasted the talented cast that they had. I’m not a big games, but I don’t believe fans of this game like it. I just know this movie sucked.

Rating: 2/ 5
 

Movie Review - Im Westen Nichts Neues (All Quiet On the Western Front)

Director: Edward berger
Genre: Action/ Drama
Runtime: 148 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Felix Kamerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Daniel Brühl
 
Description: A young German soldier’s (Felix Kamerer) terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during World War 1

Review: “Im Westen Nichts Neues” is film that, like more recent releases, would do better on the big screen. It’s an adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 brutal book.

What most war movies lack of, is realism. A lot of war movies aren’t realistic enough. I believe that a lot of directors are afraid to show the brutal horrors of a war to the general public. Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” was one of the bigger movies that showed this to the general public, with one of the most memorable and brutal opening scenes in cinematic history. You could see what happens to a body when it blows u or shot to pieces. Somehow a lot of war movies have been romanticized. “Im Westen Nichts Neues” that anything but that.    

I believe this adaption of Remarque’s book should be the film the author envisioned when he published his novel. There are two previous adaptations, from 1930 and 1979, but they could not show the brutality as confrontationally and convincingly because the visual effects were not yet as good. But it’s not just that. In the 1979 version made it look like no one was to blame for millions of men dying in this terrible war.

This new film opens with a group of friends eager to travel to the front. One of these men, Paul Bäumer, will more or less be the main character and we follow him through the chaos. Paul is not in control of the course of events. It’s a bitter-realistic portrayal of the role of soldiers on the battlefield of WWI. As soon as the sound of the whistles is heard, the soldiers climb out of the trenches and run to where the bullets are coming from.

Like stated before, the book is brutal, and so is this movie. If you are squeamish, you might have a hard time watching this film. No heroes here, there isn’t a real story either, because that would suggest far too much order. Dialogues are also few. It’s chaos, brutality, the nightmares of war. The film stays true to its spartan aesthetic of mud and blood, with a beautiful score.

When mostly you think that another adaptation of a certain book is unnecessary, this movie had to be made. It’s the adaptation of Remarque’s book that we needed.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison

Title: A Pinch of Magic
Series: A Pinch of Magic # 1
Author: Michelle Harrison
 
Description: All Betty Widdershins wants is an adventure, one that takes her far away from Crowstone, the gloomy island where she always lived. But instead of an adventure, Betty and her sisters, Fliss and Chalrie, are given of a set of magical objects, each with its own powers: a scruffy carpet bag, a set of wooden nesting dolls and a gilt-framed mirror. And these magical objects come with their own terrible secrets: the sisters’ family is haunted by a generations-long curse that prevents them from ever leaving their island, at the cost of death.
 
The sisters set out to break the curse and free their family forever. But after stumbling upon a mysterious prisoner who claims to be able to help them, they find themselves in great danger. And in order to break the curse, and stay alive, they must unravel a mystery that goes back centuries, one that involves shipwrecks, smugglers, and sorcery of the most perilous kind.
 
Review: In Crowstone there lives the 13-year-old adventurous Betty. She lives there with ther sisters Fliss and Charlie, in an old village inn run by their grandmother. The sister cannot leave the island they live on because of an ancient curse that rests on their family. One day, they inherit three magical objects. Could these object help them lift the curse?
 
“A Pinch of Magic” is the first book in a series with the same name. It’s an exciting and enchanting adventure story with a lot of magic woven in. Sisterly love, secrets and a deadly and mysterious curse are topics that are undeniably covered in this book. Author Michelle Harrison has her two sisters as her source of inspiration for her books.
 
The beautiful blending of realism and magic is evident in Harrison’s book. Main character Betty is adventurous and wants to see more of the world then just the island she lives on. The interaction between Betty and her sisters is very relatable.
 
Harrison’s writing style is smooth and she knows how to describe things like no other and often uses poetic language. It’s a book for middle graders, but as an adult who could have a middle grader herself, I loved this book. I loved stepping into this magical world and going on an adventure with the Widdershins sisters. And I believe any kid between the ages of 8 and 12 would love this story. I will definitely continue this series.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Director: Tom Gormican
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Crime
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan, Neil Patrick Harris, Ike Barinholtz, Lily Sheen
 
Description: Nic Cage (Nicolag Cage) is channeling his iconic characters as he’s caught between a superfan (Pedro Pascal) and a CIA agent (Tiffany Haddish).

Review: The past decade did no go very well for actor Nicolas Cage. He seemed to be in every movie he was offered. This created a huge stream of bad movies, with some exceptions of course. With that, Cage became a joke on the internet. The sometimes it’s best to go along with the joke. In “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, Cage plays a version of himself, Nic Cage, and shows why he is still one of the most beloved actors of his generation.

Things are not going well for Cage in this film either. He has just gone through a divorce and is living in a hotel. Films are no longer offered to the actor, but there is a millionaire who wants to meet him, to show up at his birthday, for a large sum of money. Since Cage is desperate for work, he decides to accept the offer. The eccentric millionaire, Javi, has a plan to make a movie with Cage.

However, Javi is also being followed by the CIA. They suspect him of being a ruthless criminal. For example, he allegedly kidnapped the daughter of a prominent politician. The American spies more or less force Cage to work for them and spy on Javi. The result is a hilarious comedy with a nice pace, funny dialogues and above all a delightful interplay between Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, who are constantly outdoing each other in craziness.
You never know it with Nicolas Cage, he’s sometimes super good, sometimes super bad. In this movie, it’s him the way we love him the most. He always does something unexpected and does not shy away from self-mockery. The film is a joy to watch, has great humor and action in it. Only the subplot of the kidnapping and the CIA didn’t always work for me.

This movie is mainly about Cage, but lets talks about Pedro Pascal and how amazing he is in this film. He holds up very well opposite Cage and they work so well together. I loved their growing friendship and how Javi was a Cage super fan. My favorite part was when Javi is listing his 3 all-time favorites. One of the is, of course a Cage film, another is “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, which is also a favorite of Cage. The third is a surprising and hilarious choice (although I understand why, because it’s a favorite of mine too) and they start watching it together. It’s been a while since I laughed out loud over a movie.

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” may well mark Nicolas Cage’s definitive return. With this film, Cage seems to be able to transcend all jokes and parodies. It’s definitely a favorite of 2022 for me.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

Title: Rock Paper Scissors
Series: -
Author: Alice Feeney
 
Description: Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
 
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts, and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
 
Review: Misdirection is a trademark in Alice Feeney’s work. I learned that while reading “His & Her”. And she does it again for “Rock Paper Scissors”.
 
In “Rock Paper Scissors” we meet Adam and Amelia, who are on their way to spend a weekend in Scotland. Adam is a workaholic screenwriter who has suffered from face blindness his whole life, where he can’t recognize anyone’s face, not even his own wife’s. While on their trip, they realize that this won vacation, wasn’t just a random win. There are lies standing between them and someone does not want them to leave.
 
The book is built of short chapters, each one presenting one of thee points-of-vies: Adam, Amelia and someone called Robin. There are also chapters that are the letters to Adam written by his wife, commemorating several of their anniversaries. Multiple points of view are a feature in books I really love. And they work well, especially for thrillers. Every chapter brings new information from a different perspective. These revelations changes the way the reader views the characters. Feeney made them meaningful and impactful.
 
This book is a puzzle, where with each chapter a piece is placed. A very well-crafted thriller, that kept my attention at all times. I love Alice Feeney’s writing style and I would love to keep reading her books. There is still so many to dive into. When the level of excitement and thrill is continuous in her other books, Feeney might become a favorite of mine.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Don't Worry Darling

Director: Olivia Wilde
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Florence Pugh, Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Kiki Layne, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll
 
Description: A 1950s housewife (Florence Pugh) living with her husband (Harry Styles) in an utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.

Review: Almost nothing more iconic than the suburb of an American city in the 1950s. industrious housewives wave their husbands off each morning as they head off to work in their shiny cars. In the evening, a sumptuous meal is on the table. During the day, the women gossip and chat, in between cleaning their houses, ballet class and taking care of the children. the American dream in a nutshell, but we all know the dark side.

The perfect families, always smiling, never troubles and always neat and tidy. The families who have moved into the suburbs of the thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” van flawlessly go along with the ideal image. What exactly their husbands do in the Californian desert is a mystery to the wives, but they aren’t allowed to ask either. The families are part of the utopian Victory project, started by their employer who also lives in this neighborhood. Jack and his wife Alice are one of the couples. Their perfect life is in danger when Alice does the very thing she is not supposed to do: ask questions.

The second directorial project for Olivia Wilde, who also has a supporting role, had quite a few issues. After Wilde’s debut movie, studios fought over het next project. The casting was anything but flawless: Shia LeBeouf was fired after misconduct and apparently Wilde did not get along with leading lady Florence Pugh. None of this shows. For a long time, this suspenseful drama is driven by a pleasant sense of alienation and mystery. It all begins after Alice makes a curious observation in the desert and goes to investigate. And why is the neighbor behaving so hysterically?

Then there is the benefactor of the project who is bursting with charm and charisma but in the meantime wants to control everything. Wilde plays the entrenched image od the American middle class in the 1950s complete with its attendant gender roles. No man van excel without a woman by his side. That the latter must above all meekly keep her mouth shut and follow order in an environment of narrow-mindedness is conveniently omitted.

These circumstances combined with Alice’s curious nature are bound to cause problems. The unhappy housewife, who maintains a passionate relationship with her husband Jack, undergoes the usual patterns of her own disbelief, not being believed herself and facing opposition from those around her. We have seen this pattern passed by before, but it’s embedded in unusual circumstances and performed by a downright heroine whose resistance she experiences only makes her more combative.

That something is quite wrong in peaceful Victory is obvious, and along with Alice, the viewer sets out to investigate. The film is not at all predictable, even though you know something bad is going to happen.

Wilde directs tightly but vividly, with the bright colors of the 1950s and the sweltering desert heat becoming increasingly stifling.

Once unfolded, “Don’t Worry Darling” evokes a host of comparisons to other films, which I will not list to avoid spoilers. The excellent acting completes the picture. even former One Direction star Harry Styles does a fine job. Not genius, but certainly a refreshingly unconventional mindfuck.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Help

Director: Marc Munden
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jodie Comer, Stephen Graham
 
Description: Sarah (Jodie Comer) seems to have found her calling working in a Liverpool care home where she has a special talent for connecting with the residents. Then, in March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic hits.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 45: A MOVIE WITH AN ACTOR YOU LOVE
 
Review: Sarah starts working at a Liverpool care home for residents with dementia. She forms a special bond with the relatively young Tony. Bu in March 2020 come the first reports of Covid. The film shows the initial ignorance, growing unrest and panic faced by the British healthcare system. Lack of funding and manpower make things considerably more difficult.

The film starts off fairly lighthearted and uplifting, but this builds up to a more harrowing tone as Covid starts to take its grip on the UK and the struggle faced by the care industry are played out.

As the virus spreads, residents start to feel ill and many of them die. The situation deteriorates and  resident’s names are stripped from the doors, their rooms sealed up, and staff are forced to isolate, quarantine and work double shifts. There is this one powerful 20+ minute one-shot scene, where we see Sarah on a 20 hour shift, all alone in the care home, struggling to look after Kenny, an older resident, as he suffers from Covid related symptoms and he struggles breathing. Sarah’s calm and collected demeanor slowly gives way to panic and anger as she realizes that she truly is on her own. With no help on the way. The whole film, but this scene especially, made a huge impact on me.

The third act of the film takes a slightly odd turn, but when you finally understand the reasoning behind it, it feels more logical. And it helps out the relationship between Sarah and Tony.

Jodie Comer shines as Sarah, what a wonderful, powerful performance. I felt all the feels because of her. And Stephen Graham, whom I’ve been a fan of for years, proofs why I am. He is such an underappreciated actor. And Comer and Graham are intensely compelling together and apart.

“Help” is one of those hidden gems, a film nobody knows about, let alone sees. I showcases a significantly underappreciated part of the healthcare system, which makes it an absolute must-watch.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - The Takeover

Director: Annemarie van de Mond
Genre: Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 87 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Holly Mae Brood, Geza Weisz, Frank Lammers, Walid Benmbarek, Noortje Herlaar
 
Description: Framed for murder after uncovering a privacy scandal, an ethical hacker (Holly Mae Brood) must evade the police while trying to track down the criminals blackmailing her.

Review: We meet Mel, an ethical hacker, good at her job and loving it. When one night someone breaks into her house, clearly looking for her, she flees, not knowing why they want her. She is framed for murder and with that wanted by the cops. Mel doesn’t rest until she finds who is behind it all and why she is the target. It sounds very intriguing, but the film is a soulless affair.

It's fun to see a recognizable décor, since it’s set in Rotterdam, the Netherlands (I’m Dutch), but that’s probably the only realistic thing about this film. The story and the characters are totally implausible. I don’t know if it’s because of the self-driving bus that eventually gets out of control, the many plot holes in the script or the lifeless characters.

With all that, the movie is uninspired. Almost everything about it is cliché. The hacking takes place in dimly lit rooms with wires everywhere. It has over-the-top Bond-like villains. And most of all, it’s very predictable.

I think, if you don’t expect anything and you don’t mind predictable thrillers, you might enjoy it. But “The Takeover” is highly forgettable and not original whatsoever.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Review - See How They Run

Director: Tom George
Genre: Mystery/ Comedy
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrian Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo
 
Description: In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.

Review: Thanks to a fine cast and good pace, you’ll fly right through the murder mystery comedy “See How They Run”, which both praises Agatha Christie’s work and makes fun of it.

London, 1953. We open in the West End, the place to be for anyone interested in theater. The play “The Moustrap” is being played for the hundredth time, which is a whodunit by Agatha Christie. American director Leo Kopernick complains: “It’s such a typical detective play”. He is in London preparing for the film version: “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”.

Not much later, Leo is found dead in the theater, and that’s where the whodunit starts. Who could have killed Leo? That’s where Inspector Stoppard and rookie partner Constable Stalker come in.

Don’t expect any big surprises in the feature debut from director Tom George. With “See How They Run” he shows how to skillfully seduce the viewer: the setting is beautiful, the cast great and the pace fast. Especially Stoppard and Stalker are a fantastic duo to watch, bickering and clumsy putting the pieces o the puzzle together. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan, who played these characters, were my favorite thing about the film.

I love a good whodunit. And, in my opinion, “See How They Run” really succeeds. It was highly enjoyable and they actually also had many nods to Agatha Christie, probably the queen of whodunits. To actually feature her as a character is maybe a bit too much, but overall I loved this film. 

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Enola Holmes 2

Director: Harry Bradbeer
Genre: Adventure/ Mystery/ Action/ Crime
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Helena Bonham-Carter, David Thewlis, Louise Partridge, Himesh Patel
 
Description: Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help of friends, and Sherlock (Henry Cavill) himself, to unravel.

Review: After the success of her first solved murder case, Enola Holmes starts her own detective agency. Unfortunately, most potential clients are put off by her young age and her gender, not to mention the fact that they prefer to talk to her more famous brother Sherlock. It seems Enola’s career is over before it even begins, until she is visited by a young girl whose older sister has gone missing after being accused of stealing from her workplace.

Enola takes the case and infiltrates the factory where the young lady was employed. Before lone, Enola is on the trail of a vast conspiracy, but once the local police become involved in the case, led by the extraordinary Inspector Grail, even our capable heroine discovers she needs a little help from her brother Sherlock and her elusive mother Eudoria.

Millie Bobby Brown excels in her role as Enola. She brings Sherlock’s little sister to life in a convincing and energetic manner and is genuinely funny in her comments and facial expressions. Henry Cavill portrays a wonderful messy and laid-back Sherlock, and his increased presence in this sequel could hint at a Sherlock Holmes movie of his own. Which I’m totally in for by the way.

The interplay between Cavill and Brown is very enjoyable. The two have a good click and come across as if they are brother and sister in real life. The dialogues between both Holmes siblings are sharp and smooth, with Sherlock often baffled by his sister’s skills and Enola in turn realizing that her brother is a bit of a mess.

Although the plot may appear wuite complicated to younger viewers, it is less impressive than the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Fortunately, the unraveling of the mysteries still uses the power of deductive reasoning so characteristic of original author Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.

Somethins that is also done in a fun way, is the breaking of the fourth wall. This storytelling technique by no means works in every film, but in “Enola Holmes 2” it results in funny comments in between and benefits the story, as it takes the viewer inside the mind of Enola.

Less successful are the scenes with Enola’s potential boyfriend from her first adventure, Lord Tewkesbury, which repeatedly brings the film to a halt. He is such a dull and monotonous character, that it is hard to imagine anyone as bubbly as Enola having a crush on him.

Nevertheless, “Enola Holmes 2” is highly entertaining, just like the first installment (liked it even a bit more than the first). And a perfect film to watch in the autumn season. A cozy mystery, love it. Hopefully more to come.  

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Title: The Man Who Died Twice

Series: The Thursday Murder Club (# 2)
Author: Richard Osman
 
Description: It’s the following Thursday. Elizabeth receives a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He’s made a big mistake, and need her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life. As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn’t that be a bonus? But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn’t bat en eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can The Thursday Murder Club find the killer before the killer finds them?
 
Review: After the immense success of “The Thursday Murder Club”, Richard Osman takes the same path with “The Man Who Died Twice”. This time he digs into Elizabeth’s mysterious past and her career as a spy. But, of course, he sticks to his introduced detectives of his debut. Old, but scratchy and handsome types. They always do well, Poirot, Miss Marple, Morse. The book is more enjoyable if you have already read the first, so I do recommend doing that.
 
“The Man Who Died Twice” is set mainly in Coopers Chase, the luxurious senior villag in Kent. Not feeling at home in any of the many activities offered, four septuagenarians form The Thursday Murder Club, where they try to solve old, unsolved murder cases. The enterprising natural leader is Elizabeth. Joined by psychiatrist Ibrahim, former union leader Ron and nurse Joyce. The story takes a surprising start when Elizabeth suddenly receives a letter from a certain Marcus Carmichael, whose corpse she identified during her active career. Which leads to an exciting but humorous murder investigation.  
 
“The man Who Died Twice” is another thriller with an unusual edge. On the one hand, Osman describes the cozy, quiet and sedate atmosphere of th nursing home. On the other, he provides a wildly exciting whodunnit. The mix of the two is strange, but getting more and more popular as the so-called cozy mystery, and it works so well. Osman does a fantastic job of portraying this while thing. The characters are so amazing, I love the foursome so much. I want to be in their club.
 
The side plot in “The Man Who Died Twice” is about Ibrahim getting beat up and spending time in the hospital. Ron doesn’t want to leave his side. This gives the book a sensitive touch around true friendship. Osman makes the whole thing very lighthearted and easy to read through short chapters, interspersed with Joyce’s diary entries that reveal a lot of additional information in a naive way. The novel has a lot of British humor and is full of irony and sarcasm, which I love.  But Osman does not shy away from serious themes either. The book deals very strongly with aging and its consequences: dementia, physical worries, the yearning for the pas and the confrontation with loneliness and parting. Yet the entertainment takes the upper hand.
 
“The Man Who Died Twice” is the perfect sequel and a funny, entertaining whodunnit with a highly original plot and loveable characters.  
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Ritual

Director: David Bruckner
Genre: Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Throughton
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 44: A HORROR MOVIE
 
Description: A group of friends reunite for a trip to a forest in Sweden, but encounter a menacing presence there stalking them.

Review: At first you think, this is yet another story about a group of people getting lost in the woods. And the comparison with “The Blair Witch Project” is also easily made. However, “The Ritual” gives a different twist to this story and really knows how to scare you.

“The Ritual” tells the story of four friends who go exploring together in the Swedish forests after a fatal accident back home in London. As they head deeper into the woods, they come across the strangest things, including a dead deer hung up high in a tree. When they come across an abandoned cabin in which they find various strange objects, you start thinking about “The Blair Witch Project’, but this turns out to be absolutely not the case. The story takes an entirely unique turn and gives the viewer goosebumps from head to toe.

“The Ritual” is highly recommended and an excellent horror movie. It is one of those hidden gems on Netflix that you should absolutely see.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Black Phone

Director: Scott Derrickson
Genre: Horror/ Thiller
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies
 
Description: After being abducted by a child killer (Ethan Hawke) and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy (Mason Thames) starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims.

Review: “Black Phone” is directed by Scott Derrickson, the man behind “Sinister”, which is one of the scariest horror movies I have every seen. His newest project is a shocking and serious horror thriller.

The biggest risk Derrickson takes is the reliance on child actors. Main character Finney is a fraught character; his father is an alcoholic, his mother has died, his best friend is missing and he himself now has to survive after being kidnapped by a psychopath. Although all this information is conveyed quickly and clearly with scenes that seem straight out of a Stephen King novel, its impact is really made clear by Mason Thames’ strong acting.

Even in the scenes with Ethan Hawke, who is obviously having fun with his deranged character, Thames is not overshadowed by the experienced actor. As a result, we get e good look at how Finney reacts to his situation, which provides a healthy dose of tension. As a result, “The Black Phone” is more exciting than it is scary, making the climax nothing short of bloodcurdling.

Unfortunately, the fact that the tension builds gradually does come at the expense of pacing early in the middle section. The film takes its time setting up the characters and the mystery, which leads to a slight dip in tension just after Finney’s abduction. This delay, in turn, does provide space to flesh out the character of Finney’s sister Gwen and add nuance to their home situation.

Perhaps the best choice Derrickson made was to incorporate supernatural elements into the film. Although they play a major role, little explicit attention is paid to their origins. The natural way the supernatural is incorporated fits the context of the story and also gives the film an opportunity to be creative with it.

“The Black Phone” is not a film that will turn the genre on its head. The simple story does combine several horror subgenres to then flesh out characters in a creative and nuanced way.

Rating: 3,5/ 5