Book Review - Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Title: Survive the Night
Series: -
Author: Riley Sager
 
Description: Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Maybe.

Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.

Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.

As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.
Behind the wheel is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, who also has a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. On the road they share their stories, carefully avoiding the subject dominating the news - the Campus Killer, who's tied up and stabbed three students in the span of a year, has just struck again.
Travelling the lengthy journey between university and their final destination, Charlie begins to notice discrepancies in Josh's story.
As she begins to plan her escape from the man she is becoming certain is the killer, she starts to suspect that Josh knows exactly what she's thinking.
 
Review: Student Charlie Jordan gets into the car with a complete stranger, Josh Baxter. She met him at the campus bulletin board. Charlie was looking for a ride to Ohio and Josh was looking for someone to share a ride with.
 
Charlie is still mourning her best friend, Maddie, who became the third victim of the so-called campus killer. Charlie is therefor anxious to go home to her grandmother and decides to share a ride with Josh, who is going to visit his sick father. Is Josh really who he says he is?
 
I have enjoyed two Riley Sager book before, one not so much. “Survive the Night” is somewhere in between those.
 
Charlie is an unstable person and someone you can’t really trust as a narrator. Because she suffers from blackouts, due to movies that play out in her head, it’s often not clear whether what she is seeing is real or another movie in her head. That makes it very suspenseful. Josh is also someone we don’t know whether we can trust him or not. There are often reasons to believe he is up to no good, but then again, maybe Charlie is imagining it.
 
Because Charlie is a major movie buff, there are a lot of movie references. Especially in the beginning of the book and I can understand it might be annoying at times. And me, as a movie buff myself, found it a bit too much at times. Sager was overdoing the movie references a bit. I used them too, but not to this extend.
 
Because the events take place over one night and a large chunk of the story is set in the car, the tension is very present and unpredictable. There are some twists in the book, one I never saw coming. Another I did predict, but wasn’t obvious.  
 
The book is set in the 90s and I liked that part as well. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the twists. But again, the constant references eventually started to bug me. I enjoyed the book, especially the second half of it, but it’s not one of my favorites by Riley Sager.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - A Time to Kill

Director: Joel Schumacher
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bulloc, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, Kevin Spacey, Charles S. Dutton, Chris Cooper, Beth Grant

Description: In Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) defends a black man (Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Lu Klux Klan.

Review: When Carl Lee hailey’s 10-year-old daughter is brutally abused by two racist white men, something snaps inside him. The men will be tried in the usual way, but Carl Lee fears they will be released very soon. According to him, there is only one thing to do: take the law into his won hands. So he kills the two men and is arrested by the police. A trial will have to decide whether and how Carl Lee should be punished. As a lawyer, Carl Lee hires the inexperienced Jake Brigance. He must go up against top lawyer Rufus Buckley. Fortunately, Jake gets help from ambitious Ellen Roark. The trial is the subject of many demonstrations: the Ku Klux Klan calls for prosecution, while the black community pleads for release.

When it comes to courtroom thrillers, author John Grisham is one of the best-known writers. Over the years, numerous of Grisham’s books have been adapted for film.

The story is very clear in who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The charismatic underdog against the cynical veteran: anyone who has every read anything by Grisham has a clue as to who will win. On thing is certain: because of the complicated issue is portrayed as black and white, it does make it all nice and easy to get along with. And it’s very easy to sympathize with the main character.

A good script is essential here, but a good cast is just as important to deliver it with credibility. Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey are all fantastic in their respective roles, as are Sandra Bullock, Kiefer Sutherland and Donald Sutherland in smaller roles. I believe that the final plead and that ending are a bit too dramatic for my taste, but work well as tear-jerking moments.

A film that doesn’t have a dull moment in it.

Rating: 4/ 5 

10s Movie Review - Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A U.S Marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane

Review: Every Martin Scorsese project interests me somehow. “Shutter Island” is different from his other films. It’s based on a novel by Dennis Lehane.

Federal agent Teddy Daniels has to track down an escaped psychiatric patient, together with his partner Chuck Aule. The task sounds simple, but an asylum for the criminally insane isn’t the most pleasant place to investigate. With that, it’s also the most guarded asylum, set on an island. It’s almost impossible to stay unfound.

Martin Scorsese is playing Clue with his audience. A fort, morbid prisoners, no way out and hint after hint to lead us to the suspect. It’s a thriller and it gives you a creepy feeling. The patient are really messed up. The atmosphere is unpleasant, which is good for the movie experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo form a steady base as agents. Especially DiCaprio seems to grow in every role he plays for Scorsese. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow are probably the stars, although they have smaller roles.

“Shutter Island” is a fantastic thriller, with great twists. It’s actually one of my favorite Scorsese film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Apostle

Director: Gareth Evans
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Michael Sheen, Paul Higgins, Lucy Boynton

Description: In 1905, a drifter (Dan Stevens) on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island.
 
Review: Broken Thomas is sent out to retrieve his kidnapped sister from the clutches of a solitary cult. Arriving on the island where the members worship a pagan Goddess, it soon becomes clear tat worshipping other Gods can turn out to be quite wrong.

“Apostle” is a Netflix Original and is a film in the ‘folk horror’ genre. The arrival of a righteous man in a world where everything he believes in turns out to be different seems to directly copy the beginning of “The Wicker Man”, and it gives of those vibes too. But other than this similarity, “Apostle” develops and it becomes a haunting film with its own story and with a style of its own.

Dan Stevens plays the lead role of Thomas, a man who has lost his faith in very painful ways. Michael Sheen plays the prophet Malcolm. Both really good in their roles.

“Apostle” is a solid, suspenseful and at times an unexpectedly gory horror film, with excellent acting. Fairly unknown, but worth watching if you’re a horror fan.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Pledge

Director: Sean Penn
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Mystery
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Shepard, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: A retired police detective (Jack Nicholson) pledges to catch the killer of a young child.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 8: A MOVIE DIRECTED BY AN ACTOR
 
Review: On a cold winter day, a boy stumbles upon the lifeless body of an eight-year-old girl. Soon they find a suspect for the murder, but for recently retired homicide detective Jerry Black the case isn’t settles. As far as he is concerned, the real killer is still out there. He promises the victim’s family to find the killer of their little girl and to fulfull this promise, Jerry is willing to use any means necessary.  

Sean Penn is not just an amazing actor, he is also an excellent director. He proves that with “The Pledge” a lesser known film starring Jack Nicholson.

At first sight, “The Pledge” seems like a standard thriller. But it has much more to offer than the clichéd whodunit. In fact, finding the killer is not so much the main focus; the film clearly addresses more important, more profound themes. Therefore, do not expect spectacular action scenes, as the somewhat slow film has to rely mainly on its dialogues, well-developed characters and tension.   

This all makes the intelligent “The Pledge” highly recommended for those who want to see a less conventional thriller for a change.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Title: The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires
Series: -
Author: Grady Hendrix
 
Description: Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.
 
Review: Patricia doesn’t have a very eventful life. She had big plans after graduating as a nurse, but when she marries Carter, she quits her job to become a full-time stay-at-home mom. The only exciting thing in her life is her book club, where they meet with a number of housewives and discuss true-crime novels. When a new neighbor, James Harris, moves into the neighborhood, strange and gruesome things start to happen.
 
First of all, this is a horror book. If you can’t handle gory and explicit scenes, this is not a book for you.
 
The story is entirely told from Patricia’s point of view, so you get to know her very well. Her position as a housewife comes up several times and is thoroughly explored, make it one of the main themes. Because yes, this book is not just about vampires. The social differences between white and black people in the late 80s and early 90s is also a theme, as is the housewives positions in relation to men. Those themes along with the supernatural make the book original and innovative.
 
Overall, the book isn’t filled with likeable characters. Especially the men are unlikeable, because they have a certain “traditional” way of life and believe the women are only there to be homemakers and mothers, nothing more or less. There are some women that feel the same and are perfectly fine with that vision, but mainly because they are used to this. I’m glad Patricia is a character that wants to step away from this stereotype and tries to find her place in the world. Because it’s so easy to relate to Patricia, it’s also very difficult to read when there is a moment where she tells everyone about their new neighbor James Harris, and no one believes her and even think she is crazy.
 
The book has a slow start, but it’s never boring. Once it comes to the halfway point, there is non-stop action and you just can’t stop reading. There were some really gruesome and creepy scenes in the book, that really creeped me out.  
 
Grady Hendrix has such a fun writing style, I really like his horror books, so very different from the standard. I love that.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Gone Baby Gone

Director: Ben Affleck
Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Crime
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, Titus Welliver, Amy Madigan, Michael Kenneth Williams

Description: Two Boston area detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) investigate a little girl’s kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.

Review: Is a bad deed justifiable if the consequence is ultimately good? What are good intentions worth if the consequences are bad? And what then is good and bad, and do those words have any meaning at all? Such questions arise when watching “Gone Baby Gone”, directed by Ben Affleck and based on the book by Dennis Lehane. Affleck created an engaging, intelligent film.

Private detective couple Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired by Helene McCready’s sister-in-law to track down Helene’s missing four-year-old daughter Amanda. They discover that Helene has robbed a drug dealer and suspect that the drug dealer has something to do with Amanda’s abduction. An attempt to strike a bargain with the dealer and exchange the stolen money for the child goes horribly wrong.

Months later, Kenzie works another kidnapping case where he must find and free a missing boy from the hands of a pedophile. In the process, Patrick makes some decisions that are very difficult for him and also stumbles upon a secret that presents him with even more difficult decisions. The question is not so much whether he can make the right decision, but whether there are any at all in our modern society.

It was a good idea by Ben Affleck to keep the moral uncertainties that arise in a disrupted world without a clearly identifiable right or wrong. This keeps the story and a few plot twists interesting. I’ve always liked Ben Affleck more as a directed than an actor, so I’m happy he decided to cast his brother Casey Affleck for the lead role, instead of starrin in it himself. The younger Affleck is in my opinion the better actor of the two and he proves that in “Gone Baby Gone”. Helene McCready is played by Amy Ryan, who really shines in her role.

“Gone Baby Gone” is a really good crime mystery, that is engaging from start to finish. An overlooked film in my opinion, not many people seem to talk about it anymore.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

20s Movie Review - Look Both Ways

Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez, Aisha Dee, David Corenswet, Luke Wilson, Andrea Savage

Description: On the even of her college graduation, Natalie’s (Lili Reinhart) diverges into parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and remains in her hometown to raise her child and another in which she moves to L.A. to pursue her dream career.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 7: A ROMANTIC MOVIE
 
Review: Natalie has a tight five-year plan outlining her career to conquer the animation world. But she she suffers from nasea after sex with her best friend Gabe, the fear of pregnancy throws that plan into disarray. In the bathroom where she takes a pregnancy test, her life spits into two timelines: one in which she is indeed pregnant and decides to keep the child and one in which she is not pregnant and she is going to follow her plan to move to L.A. and become an animator.

“Look Both Ways” is a fun film that makes it all too clear that life cannot be planned that easy. It is nice to see that both timelines get a fair amount of screen time and one is not clearly placed above the other. At the same time, not all scenes feel equally urgent and there are some very large time jumps. Thus, the script is not as tight as it could have been and also makes you wonder if this concept would not work better in a series.

What I liked most is that the makers never force one of the two stories on you. One is not better than the other, because both timelines have their ups and downs and their good and bad moments. And I really liked Lili Reinhart in her role.

The film also paints a somewhat fatalistic picture by implicitly stating that you will end up where you are supposed to be anyway. Five-year plan or not, you are simply a plaything of fate. In contrast, the idea that hard work always gets you where you need to be in the end easily fits into the image of makeable happiness that is very short-sighted. But if you don't dwell too much on such matters, Look Both Ways is an entertaining film that doesn't get boring especially with thanks to the infectious acting of the expressive Lili Reinhart and warm Danny Ramirez.

“Look Both Ways” is a fun and entertaining film, that is not overly romantic because that is not the focus. Natalie’s journey is, and I really enjoyed that. The two separate stories are nothing groundbreaking, but I really loved the concept of the two timelines.

Rating: 3/ 5

Book Review - The Personal Assistant by Kimberly Belle

Title: The Personal Assistant
Series: -
Author: Kimberly Belle
 
Description: When Alex first began posting unscripted family moments and motivational messages online, she had no intention of becoming an influencer. Overnight it seemed she’d amassed a huge following, and her hobby became a full-time job—one that was impossible to manage without her sharp-as-a-tack personal assistant, AC.

But all the good-will of her followers turns toxic when one controversial post goes viral in the worst possible way. Alex reaches out to AC for damage control, but her assistant has gone silent. This young woman Alex trusted with all her secrets, who had access to her personal information and front row seats to the pressure points in her marriage and family life, is now missing and the police are looking to Alex and her husband for answers. As Alex digs into AC’s identity – and a woman is found murdered – she’ll find the greatest threat isn’t online, but in her own living room.
But all the good-will of her followers turns toxic when one controversial post goes viral in the worst possible way. Alex reaches out to AC for damage control, but her assistant has gone silent. This young woman Alex trusted with all her secrets, who had access to her personal information and front row seats to the pressure points in her marriage and family life, is now missing and the police are looking to Alex and her husband for answers. As Alex digs into AC’s identity – and a woman is found murdered – she’ll find the greatest threat isn’t online, but in her own living room.
 
Review: Alex is a very successful social media influencer who spreads positivity and has just reached one million followers. When Alex wakes up the next, after a night of celebrating, he feed is filled with negative comments and trolls. Apparently she posted about another influencer, shaming her and completely bashing her. Even though Alex was drunk that night, she is sure she didn’t post it. But the damage has already been done ad a spiral of hate is coming down on her and her family. With that, her personal assistant, AC, is now missing. AC has full access to Alex’ account, Unapologetically Alex. And also a lot of knowledge about Alex. As Alex desperately tries to get in touch with AC, the trolls start threatening her, but also her twin daughters.
 
I had never read anything from Kimberly Belle before, this novel intrigued me. “The Personal Assistant” is very fast paced and uses the effect of social media in this really strong and solid thriller. One thing I always love in thrillers, is multiple points of view. Belle also used that in “The Personal Assistant”, with Alex, her husband Patrick and AC as the three narrators of the book. Especially the mysterious AC is really interesting to read about.
 
I’m very impressed by Belle’s ability to write a thriller that keeps you guessing. It has some nice plot twists, that I really enjoyed. Time for me to explore more of Kimberly Belle’s work.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Good Girl, Bad Blood

Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood
Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (#2)
Author: Holly Jackson
 
Description: Pip is not a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening.
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.
But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.
The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?
 
Review: “Good Girl, Bad Blood” is the sequel to “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”. In this second volume, Pip and Ravi have set up a podcast called “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”. In it, they discuss what happened and how they solved Andie’s  murder. They also closely follow the trial that is underway against Max Hastings, the boy who raped several girls. Pip vowed not to play detective anymore. Solving Andie’s murder cost her dearly. But when one of her best friends, Connor, shows up at her door saying his brother Jamie is missing, Pip can’t help but help her friend. She gets out to find out what happened to Jamie. But the more she discovers, the more questions arise about his disappearance.   
 
This book cannot be read separately from the first book, you have to have read that before starting “Good Girl, Bad Blood”. For example, the trial of Max Hastings plays a big role and events from part one are often referred back to. What this book does do very cleverly is give a brief summary of everything that happened in the first book. This is very nice to refresh your memory a bit, if it’s been a while since you read the first book. I read it last year and it was my second favorite that I read that year. And I already know that this is also going to be one my top list of this year.  
 
Jamie’s disappearance is incredibly mysterious and the more Pip discovers, the more questions are added. And you never expect what eventually is revealed. And you’re not sure about all of it for a very long time. You just want to keep reading this book, even if you get 10 more questions for every answer. With that, Pip is one of the best female characters I have read in a long time.
 
Until the very end, author Holly Jackson manages to keep the reader on their toes and it is almost impossible to predict how things will turn out. I’m an avid thriller reader, but even I didn’t predict any of it. I’m not a big series reader, but I haven’t been this invested in a book series since “The Hunger Games”. And I can’t wait to continue reading these books.
 
Holly Jackson has a very pleasant writing style. The book is very easy to read and  even with 400+ pages, I flew through it, which is perfect for a slow reader like me. The story never has a dull moment in it and, like the first book, I really loved the concept of this. With not only standard storytelling, but also journal entries, transcripts from Pip’s podcast, interviews, news paper clippings. It makes the book super interesting. And you get a glimpse of what goes on in Pip’s head.
 
The unfolding of the mystery is extremely well put together. I really can’t say one bad thing about this book, you really need to read this series!
 
Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Primal Fear

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime/ Mystery
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Maura Tierney, Andre Braugher, Terry O’Quinn, Steven Bauer

Description: An alter boy (Edward Norton) is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.

Review: In Chicago, when an archbishop is murdered in cold blood, alter Boy Aaron Stampler is seen fleeing from the scene covered in blood. It’s as clear is day, but lawyer Martin Vail is eager to take on the defense. He likes cases that will generate a lot of media attention. His charming ex Janet is the prosecutor on the case. But it’s a tough job: the stuttering defendant is a wimpy kid, but was covered in blood.

“Primal Fear” is an exciting thriller, not just set in the courtroom. It’s one of Richard Gere’s best roles and Edward Norton’s first. And especially Norton impresses and he gives away an unforgettable performance. Norton deservedly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role and knowing that Cuba Gooding Jr. won for “Jerry Maguire” that year, I believe Norton should have won it. He has not won an Academy Award to date, Norton is one of the finest actors out there, and already proved that in his first film.

The film has tension and is investing from start to finish. It has some surprising plot twist, midway and at the end, that blew my mind when I first saw it. But it still impacts after a rewatch. A very good thriller.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - Spoorloos

Director: George Sluizer
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 1988
Starring: Gene Bervoets, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Johanna ter Steege, Gwen Eckhaus

Description: Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna ter Steege), a couple in love, are on vacation. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia goes missing. After three years and no sign of Saskia, Rex begins receiving letters from the abductor.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 6: A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

Review: Saskia and Rex are on vacation. In the car, Saskia tells him she has a recurring nightmare, about her being trapped in a golden egg and must love forever alone in darkness. The book this movie is based on is called “The Golden Egg” by author Tim Krabbé and it has a deeper meaning, which you will learn at the end of the film.

While on the road, Rex and Saskia stop at a service station. Saskia goes inside to get both of them something to drink, but she never returns. Rex is left with a million questions. After 3 years, he starts receiving letters.

“Spoorloos” is one of our Dutch national film treasures, that not many people seem to talk about. Or probably seem to remember. It had a limited budget, but this movie proofs that you don’t need it. A good story and solid performances are often enough. I was invested in this movie from start to finish and loved the symbolism the golden egg represents. The movie was remade in the US in 1993, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock, as “The Vanishing” (also the English title for the Ditch version), which I also really loved. But for once, the Dutch version is the better one here. Directed by George Sluizer as well, but not loved by athor Tim Krabbé.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Title: A Flicker in the Dark

Series: -

Author: Stacy Willingham
 
Description: When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?
 
Review: Stacy Willingham has come out with her debut novel “A Flicker in the Dark” and was nominated for a Good Reads choice award in the category mystery/ thriller. We meet Chloe Davis, a psychologist, whose father was convicted of murdering several teenage girls twenty years ago. When girls start disappearing again, Chloe is confronted with her past.
 
We follow the story from Chloe’s point of view and since she is on constant medication, she might be an unreliable narrator. We get to know her very well, since we are following to her in various time periods.
 
The start has a slow start, but yet you immediately feel a subcutaneous tension. And you also start questioning the people around her and Chloe’s mental health.  The setting is well-described and I liked the different timelines it was told in. Stacy Willingham’s writing is smooth and she wrote a pretty solid debut novel. I did kind of see that ending coming, even though we were misdirected a few times.
 
“A Flicker in the Dark” is a psychological thriller, with tension, but a not-so-surprising ending. Solid, but not something that will stick with me for too long.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

80s Movie Review - Nine to Five

Director: Colin Higgins
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 1980
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman

Description: Three female employees (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton) of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot (Dabney Coleman) find a way to turn the tables on him.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: A MOVIE FROM THE 1980S
 
Review: Three working ladies are done with their sexist and narcistic boss and decide to give hi a taste of his own medicine.

“Nine to Five” is without a doubt a fun film, with comedy. There is many to laugh about and the three leading ladies work well together. The story itself isn’t all that special and the acting is questionable (Dolly Parton should stick to singing). It’s a very cheesy, yet entertaining 80s comedy, with a title song that is better then the actual movie.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Babylon

Director: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 189 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Diego Calva, Flea, Tobey Maguire
 
Description: A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.

Review: The craziness in “Babylon” begins with bickering over the transport of an elephant. Manuel, jack-of-all-trades behind the scenes of Hollywood anno 1926, has arranged for the animal to be the summit of entertainment of an exorbitant party thrown by a movie studio boss.

Hollywood prodigy Damien Chazelle (of the fantastic personal favorites “La La Land” and “Whiplash”) creates yet another prologue in his bursting at the seams fourth film: a protracted orgy of sex, cocaine, booze, song and dance at the aforementioned party. Here Manuel meets the wildly charming aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy and the equally charming yet smug star actor Jack Conrad. Manuel and Nellie then work their way up at lightning speed, while Jack is overtaken by time.  

“Babylon” is a mesmerizing, merciless and remarkably cynical deconstruction of Hollywood’s golden years: the first great transition phase of the American film industry, spurred by the invention of the talking movie (in 1927, with “The Jazz Singer”). One of my other personal favorites, “Singin’ in the Rain” also did this and this movie eventually turns out to be a very important one in “Babylon” as well. And I really loved this take. The conclusion of “Babylon” was surprising and satisfying.

The scenes where we got to go behind the scenes of the making of movies, where without a doubt the best. Especially one wild scene where Nellie first steps onto a film set. The way this was filmed, cinematographically it looks perfect and all the chaos going on is felt in every bone of your body.

Where, in my eyes, Chazelle’s “Whiplash” and “La La Land” were perfect in every way, “Babylon” is more flawed. Some explicit scenes I could have done without. I don’t shy away from nudity in film, but it sometimes felt unnecessary and felt like it was only there for the purpose of shock. With that, the movie is a bit too long, it could have been at least 30 minutes shorter. And that one scene, with Tobey Maguire, which is the most insane bit of the film, felt ridiculous.

“Babylon”, ode to and reckoning with the film industry all in one, proves that that American dream factory still delivers colorful films. Not a film I would recommend to anyone, because I don’t think most people I know, would appreciate it as much as I did. A wild ride that stimulates all you senses.

Rating: 4/ 5

20s Movie Review - Where the Crawdads Sing

Director: Olivia Newman
Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Romance
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., Garrett Dillahunt, Ahna O’Reilly  

Description: A woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) who raised herself in the marshes of the Deep South becomes a suspect in the murder of a man with whom she was once involved.

Review: “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a film based on the novel of the same name, written by Delia Owens and released in 2018. The book became extremely popular, being piced up as a favorite for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, so a movie was the logical next step.

The story is about Kya, a young girl who lives with the family in the marshes of North Carolina. Her mother has a terrible life because her father is not averse to abuse. When Kya’s mom leaves and eventually her siblings are done with the violence as well, Kya is left hopelessly behind with her father. When her father later also leaves, she is struggling to survive on her own.

When Kya grows up, she is simply known as “the marsh girl”. When suddenly, Chase Andrews, a wealthy young man from Barkley Cove, dies in a strange way, everyone in the village has their judgment ready: it was Kya, the marsh girl.  

“Where the Crawdads Sing” has a well-constructed story. Kya is portrayed as an easy victim, simply because she is different. The movie is entirely consistent with the book, only little has changed. The ending, which I did predict when I read the book, is surprising to most. The tension persists until the end of the story.

But still, the book is better. Because the tension is more present there, the movie somehow missed that mark.

Rating: 3, 5 /5