Book Review - The Guest by B.A. Paris

Title: The Guest
Author: B.A. Paris
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2024
 
Description: Iris and Gabriel have just arrived home from a make-or-break holiday. But a shock awaits them. One of their closest friends, Laure, is in their house. The atmosphere quickly becomes tense as she oversteps again and sleeping in their bed, wearing Iris’ closthes, even rearranging the furniture.
 
Laure has walker our on her husband – and their good friend – Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child. Iris and Gabriel want to be supportive of their friends, but as Laure’s mood becomes increasingly unpredictable, her presence takes its toll.
 
Iris and Gabriel only respite comes in the form of a couple new to town. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past. Soon, secrets from all their pasts will unravel, some more dangerous than they could have known
 
Review: I had never read from B.A. Paris before and I do have another one of her books on my physical TBR. Starting with her newest novel “The Guest” might not have been the best idea.
 
When Iris and Gabriel return from a holiday, they discover someone has been in their house. It’s their friend Laure, who has fled her husband, after finding out he had an affair and a child as a result of that. At first, Iris and Gabriel want to support Laure, but soon they get enough of her presence.
 
For a thriller to be a thriller, it should at least be thrilling. It is not. I found “The Guest” pretty boring. The book dragged and nothing interesting happens for a long time. And the book is also very repetitive. Sometimes when a characters talks about something or explains something, they later repeat it and this happens on several occasions in the story. This is very unnecessary, because it’s not something that is so complex they need to over explain it.
 
I didn’t like the characters. I felt like Iris was being very mean to Laure. Her friend is dealing with a difficult time in her life and I understand that you eventually wish they would leave, so you can have your house to yourself again. But Iris felt that very early on during Laure’s stay. She didn’t show a lot of empathy. It’s understandable for Laure to be upset. Gabriel and Iris’ relationship also felt flat. The way they talk to each other, is not the way a married couple is supposed to talk. At least not the ones I know. There is no love between the two, whatsoever. Esmee I did like, at first, but even she got annoying as the story moved on.
 
As for the plot itself. All these people kept secrets, many of them that had no reason to be kept. And the story was very predictable. In the end, there is this epilogue that gives us a final twist and explains everything to us. But I couldn’t care less. At this point, I didn’t care at all, not about the characters, not about the mystery, not about anything. The ending is not credible at all.
 
This book was boring, uninspiring and I just didn’t enjoy this book. I can’t believe I actually finished it.
 
Rating: 1/ 5

Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 9

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much.
 

29/ 100: Ghostbusters (1984)
Three parapsychologists are kicked out of college. Fortunately, just then an epidemic of paranormal phenomena breaks out. The unemployed scientists start a company that solves such supernatural problems. It’s a very enjoyable comedy, thanks to the strong script, effective special effects and dryly comic acting, especially from Bill Murray. You can check my full review HERE
 

30/ 100: Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The movie, based on a story by Annie Proulx, is about a love against the odds. During a season in the open, where Ennis and Jack watch over hundreds of sheep for work, something beautiful develops between the men. When the season contracts ends, their paths separate. Both marry, both become fathers, both try with all their might to build an ordinary existence. In vain. “Brokeback Mountain” makes the unfathomable sadness of unfulfilled desire tangible. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal work well together and you can feel their pain, of not being able to be together, because of the time they live in. The film is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Check out the full review HERE
 

31/ 100: Midnight in Paris (2011)
Successful soap opera writer Gil is in Paris with his fiancée and her parents. He is not happy, not with his career and not with his relationship. One night, to his utter amazement, he is magically transported to 1920s Paris, where he meets people like Hemingway, Dalí, Picasso and Fitzgerald. It’s a romantic comedy, exactly the way I love them. Not cliché, original, lighthearted and funny. Made by Woody Allen, showing us Paris at its most beautiful. HERE you can read my full review.
 

32/ 100: The Guest (2014)
A very strong thriller, not to many people know about, about a young man who takes on the uninvited role of protector of a small family. The title guest is an American Afghanistan veteran David, who visits the family telling them he knew their son/ brother, who has died in action. At first, David is the perfect change the family needed. But soon strange things start to happen. “The Guest” is an intelligent film, an effective thriller story, told with momentum and tension and portrayed by a fine cast of actors without any big names. Read my full review HERE
 
Still to watch: 68

Top 10: Favorite Movies of 2014

I got to see a lot of 2014 movies, so this year I will make a favorites list of the year. Off course I didn’t get to all the movies of this year, because that’s impossible.  I didn’t see “Boyhood”, for no apparent reason. Some 2014 movies are coming out next year in The Netherlands, like “Birdman” or “The Imitation Game” and there are also some movies on this list that officially came out in 2013, but in my country it was 2014. Let’s get started, here are my favorite movies of 2014.

 

10. Edge of Tomorrow

The most recent view of this list. I wasn’t stoked about this at first, I didn’t see it in theaters. Now I regret that, because it was AWESOME! Finally the Tom Cruise action movie we were waiting for.

 

 

9. The Guest

It sounded so standard, but it was anything but standard. What I got was a solid thriller that had elements of “Drive” and 80s horror/ thriller in it. John Carpenter didn’t help making this movie, but it was like watching one of his creations. “The Guest” was amazing and thank God for Dan Stevens.

 

 

8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Ceasar made it to my list. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was just as good as “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. It’s something about apes, I’m captivated every time. And I know it’s probably never going to happen, but give Andy Serkis an Oscar! This man is a genious.

 

 

7. Begin Again

This was such a sweet film, I was literally smiling the entire runtime. The soundtrack is great and I just loved this film. When I read the synopsis I thought it was going to be mediocre, but it was so much better.

 

 

 

6. Nightcrawler

I was curious, I wanted to know what this was about. “Nightcrawler” was a surprisingly good movie, I didn’t see that coming. And Jake Gyllenhaal gave away such a mind blowing performance. He really got lost in his role.

 

 

5. The Lego Movie

I your title song is called “Everything is Awesome”, you better be awesome. And that’s exactly what “The Lego Movie” is. I never thought I would love it as much as I do. I’m didn’t even play with LEGO that much as a kid. I enjoyed this so much, I have watched the movie three times already this year.

 

 

4. 12 Years a Slave

If this movie doesn’t touch you, you’re a robot. Ever inch in my body felt the pain and the suffering of Solomon. Such an amazing movie, goose bumps.

 

 

3. Whiplash

Oh how I loved this movie! I heard so many great things about it and I totally agreed with all of those people. Seriously, J.K. Simmons in this film, if his character was real he would scare the sh** out of me.

 

 

2. The Grand Budapest Hotel

This year I discovered that Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. His movies are a piece of art, they look amazing. I wish I had his creative mind. I enjoyed “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and Ralph Fiennes’ performance is one of the best of the year. I’m actually missing this movie on a lot of 2014 movie lists. Maybe they aren’t Wes Anderson fans.

 

 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

I didn’t know anything about the heroes in this film before seeing it. Each one of them stole my heart and I’m a fan of “Guardians of the Galaxy”. It’s understatement if I say I adored this movie. I even think it’s the best Marvel movie so far!

 

 

Honorable Mentions: Her, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part, Neighbors, Locke

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Playlist of the Year 2014

I decided to do something new, I’ve never done this before. I wanted to make a list of the five coolest, most awesome songs in movies of 2014. And it took me a while to go through all of them, because movies this year brought us some great songs. They might not be the most popular songs, you won’t find all of them in the charts, but that doesn’t take away any of their awesomeness. Here is the playlist.

5. Mr. Mustafa by Alexandre Desplat (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”)

Alexandre Desplat is an amazing composer and he made some wonderful music for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, one of the best movies of 2014 and also one of my faovrites of the year. Fun fact: he also wrote music for this year’s “Godzilla”, “The Monuments Men”, “Unbroken” and “The Imitation Game”. Does this man ever sleep?

 

 

4. Lost Stars by Adam Levine (“Begin Again”)

I loved this movie and its soundtrack. This song I just can’t get out of my head, it’s so good! Not a Maroon 5 fan, but Adam Levine nails this song!

 

 

3. Anthonio (Berlin Breakdown Version) by Annie (“The Guest”)

This synthy, John Carpenter-esque cut was part of one of the nicest surprises of the year. From a distance, “The Guest” looked like a fairly standard genre piece, but it was so much more. And Dan Stevens also is one of the biggest breakthrough stars of the year.

 

 

2. Everything is Awesome by Tegan and Sara ft. The Lonely Island (“The Lego Movie”)

There are earworms and then there is “Everything is Awesome”. So catchy that the mere mention of its name can instigate mass chanting, it’s hard to believe that it was created by people.

 

 

1. Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2”)

It may be overshadowed by “The Hanging Tree”, but this is the best song of the soundtrack. And my favourite song of this year’s movie playlist.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Solomon by Hans Zimmer (“12 Years a Slave”), Love me Tomorrow by John Newman (“Edge of Tommorow”), Old Man by Neil Young (“The Expendables 3”), Come and Get Your Love by Redbon (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Hero by Family of the Year (“Boyhood”), American Interior by Gruff Rhys (“American Interior”), We Build This City by Starship (“The Skeleton Twins”), The Hanging Tree by Jennifer Lawrence (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1”)

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (November 2014)

Damn, this month I saw some good movies. There was only one movie I gave less than 3 stars, so it was really difficult for me to make this month’s top 5. But here are the best movies I saw this month for my challenge.

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I’m a huge fan of the books and I was really looking forward to seeing this. If you read the books, you like this movie too. But for the people who didn’t read the novels, it might be a disappointment. There isn’t as much action in it. It’s also my least favourite so far, but it was still an amazing cinema experience.

 

 

4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I loved this movie. I really liked Walter and his vivid imagination. Ben Stiller really did a wonderful job both with directing it and playing the lead role.

 

 

3. The Guest

This came as a surprise. I never expected it to be this good. And that soundtrack, so awesome. I can recommend this movie to anyone.

 

 

2. Rushmore

Wes Anderson has become one of my favourite directors and I especially love the way he tells his stories. This was one of his first films and I loved every minute of it.

 

 

1. Begin Again

This movie is about music, the love for music and the passion of sharing music with other people. After seeing it, I starting listening to the soundtrack and I actually still have some of the songs in my head. This movie was better than I initially thought it would be. It’s on my favourites list now.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Fruitvale Station, Dallas Buyers Club, The Expendables 2, Pitch Perfect, Napoleon Dynamite, Snowpiercer

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 141: The Guest

Director: Adam Wingard

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 92 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, Brendan Meyer, Lance Reddick

Description: A soldier (Dan Stevens) introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence.

Review: I always find it very exciting to not know much about a movie before watching it. That’s how I went into watching “The Guest”. The movie starts with a soldier on family Peterson’s doorstep. He, David, tells the mother he knew her son who died in action. She invites him in and the family lets him stay for a little while longer. He seems like a nice man, but strange things start happening around town.

“The Guest” is a very strong action thriller. It’s daring and hearkens back to the same kind of movies from the 80's with its own modern touches. The soundtrack is amazing, it reminded me of “Drive”. And some of the music is also very similar to the ones John Carpenter used in his films.

Dan Stevens, who plays David, is the glue that binds this movie together. He exides vulnerability and charm that you just can’t help but like the guy and yet he still stains some sinister vibes underneath that smiling exterior. He knocks it out of the park. Also Maika Monroe turns in a strong performance.

This movie has great thriller elements, especially the last 30 minutes are worth watching. There is an amazing scene in a haunted house.

Like I said before, it’s always nice to start your movie experience before actually knowing anything about the movie, especially when it’s such a pleasant surprise. “The Guest” is a very good thriller. I’m afraid not many people will see it, which is a shame.

Rating: 5/ 5