Book Review - Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Title: Home Before Dark
Series: -
Author: Riley Sager
 
Description: What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spend three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called “House of Horrors”. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon.
Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghost, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but war, .
 
Review: In “Home Before Dark”, we follow Maggie. She lives alone and renovates houses with a friend. Twenty-five years ago, Maggie live in Baneberry Hall with her parents, Ewan and Jess. A house which is no know as a haunted house. At the time, Maggie was a little girl and she doesn’t remember anything from living there. Maggie has lots of fantasy as a child, where she claimed to see people in the house, that here parents didn’t. The family lived in Baneberry Hall for 20 days and left the house, to never return. Ewan wrote a book about it, claiming that it had ghosts in it.
 
He describes the strange evens that accumulated during their stay at baneberry Hall. Sounds they couldn’t explain, items inexplicably in other places, and of course the strange images Maggie seemed to see.
 
Now, twenty-five years later, Maggie decides to return to Baneberry Hall, after her dad’s passing and inheriting the house. She didn’t even know that he still owned it. This gives Maggie the chance to fix it up and sell the house. But also to see if the house is indeed haunted. After all, she can’t remember anything about the evens and firmly believes that the events in the book were made up by her father.
 
“Home Before Dark” is very well written for several reasons. First of all, we actually follow two stories in the book. We follow adult Maggie, in the present, who returns to Baneberry Hall. And twenty-five years in the past, when Maggie was young and living in Baneberry Hall with her parents. Telling the story of what Ewan wrote about in his best-selling novel. This makes the story exciting and frightening at times. It had some real scary moments and I was really hooked to the story.  
 
I thought it was a thriller when I picked it up, but when I got into it, it felt more like a horror story. In the end, it still is a thriller, more than a horror, but I loved the horror elements Sager incorporated in his book.
 
This is the second novel by Riley Sager that I have read, the other one being “Lock Every Door”. I loved that book. I do prefer that one over “Home Before Dark”, but I’m very curious about more of his work. I’m really liking his books so far and I will definitely be reading more of his work.
 
Rating: 4 / 5

80s Movie Review - Good Morning, Vietnam

Director: Barry levinson
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, J.T. Walsh, Bruno Kirby

Description: In 1965, an unorthodox and irreverent DJ named Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) begins to shake up things, when he is assigned to the U.S. Armed Services radio station in Vietnam.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A MOVIE RECOMMENDED BY YOUR DAD
 
Review: “Goooooooooood Morning Vietnam”, those are the words DJ Adrian Cronauer starts his radio show with, while being assigned to the U.S. Armed Service radio in Vietnam. The people listening to his how, love him. His superiors not so much.

Fans of Robin Williams will have a blas with “Good Morning, Vietnam”.  The actors is especially in the first half of the film, in top form with a lightning-fast succession of jokes that he makes up on the spot. If you’re not a fan of Williams, you won’t like this movie, since Williams is the heart and soul of “Good Morning, Vietnam”. I especially loved how a film set during a war, is lighthearted at times. It doesn’t shy away from the heavy imagery or topics either.

I really loved “Good Morning, Vietnam”, realizing again what a treasure Robin Williams was.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Gray Man

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Regé-Jean Page
 
Description: When the CIA’s most skilled operative (Ryan Gosling), whose true identity is known to none, accidentally uncovers dark agency secrets, a psychopathic former colleague (Chris Evans) puts a bounty on his head, setting off a global manhunt by international assassins.

Review: Ryan Gosling is a prisoner, nameless, talking to shady CIA chief Fitzroy recruits him for a team that operates even more secretively than the CIA already does. Under the name Six he manages in a few decades to work his way up to one of the most feared hit men, until he goes a bit over his head during an attack. His new boss Carmichael is not all that happy with his somewhat old-fashioned tactics.

All that remains is for him to gon on the run, where he gets help from the also discredited Dani. Six and Dani flee from Prague to Vienna from Berlin to Croatia, and so on. Meanwhile, Carmichael has enlisted the psychopathic Lloyd to take out Six.

“The Gray ma” is a delightful no-brainer action film with rather standard Bond-elements, but with a wonderful cast. The action especially is very good in this film. And I’m glad it looks good, since it’s one of the most expensive Netflix films ever made. The scenario was a bit predictable and not all that special, but nonetheless it was a very entertaining and enjoyable film.

Ryan Gosling’s character in “The Gray Man” resembles the one he played in “Drive”: nameless, stoic and ruthless. Ana de Armas, who was in the latest Bond-movie, had a bigger role in this film. The one she should have gotten as Bond-girl. I especially really like Chris Evans in his villainous role, quite different from the heroic Captain America.

“The Gray Man” gets a lot of hate, which I don’t fully understand. Because it’s a great time. I get that, for that big of a budget, you expect a more surprising and less standard action flick. But aside from that budget, it’s a fun action movie, though very forgettable.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Uncharted

Director: Ruben Fleisher
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE
WEEK 29: A MOVIE ABOUT TRAVELING
 
Description: Street-smart Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a fortune amassed by Ferdinand Magellan, and lost 500 years ago by the house of Moncada.

Review: In “Uncharted”, based on a popular videogame, we see that brothers Nathan and Sam have been interested in the Magellan expedition since they were children in the orphanage. They want to steal the first world map. But they get caught doing so and Sam is sent away, because it’s not his first attempt. He manages to flee, leaving Nathan behind. Years later, Nathan works in a bar and he meets Sully, who wants to work with him. Sully is also a treasure hunter and knows Sam. Nathan’s brother stole the diary of Juan Sebastian Elcano for him. Since then there has been no trace of him, although Nathan has received postcards from Sam. On them are clues as to where he can find the gold treasure contained in two merchant ships.

I didn’t really care about this movie. It was somewhat entertaining and it looks good. But overall, it’s a pretty standard adventure film, with one-dimensional characters and a very predictable plot. Didn’t expect much, didn’t get much.

Rating: 2/ 5

20s Movie Review - Malignant

Director: James Wan,
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Brianna White, Jacqueline McKenzie

Description: Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.

Review: James Wan is one of the best current horror movie directors. Because after “Saw”, ‘Insidious” and “The Conjuring”, he shows with “Malignant”again how well this genre suits him.

When the pregnant Madison loses both her husband and her inborn child in an unexplained attack one night, her life falls apart. Yet things don’t get much better after that, when she starts having visions of similar killings, which are completely consistent with what is happening in reality at the time. And I’m stopping here, because it’s best to not know too much about the film before you watch it.

From the very first shot it is clear that “Malignant” is a horror film, but Wan leaves the viewers guessing to what kind of horror movie is exactly is. These days it’s somehow very difficult for director to create an original horror movie that is unpredictable. But James Wan did it. “Malignant” is one of the most original and surprising horror movies I’ve seen recently. With an ending you could never predict.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Licorice Pizza

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Maya Rudolph, Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Benny Safdie
 
Description: The story of Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) growing up, running around and going through the treacherous  navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Review: “Licorice Pizza”, the latest film by director Paul Thomas Anderson, is a nostalgic portrait of California in 1973, very loosely told through a story about a teenage boy and the twenty-something he fall in love with.

Anderson broke through with movies like “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia”. He has a very recognizable editing style, camera work and the specific way he uses pop music.

“Licorice Pizza” consists largely of loose anecdotes and scenes surrounding the lives of Gary and Alana during one summer. For a long time, it’s not entirely clear which way the film is going or what to expect. Anderson takes the time for all sorts of sidetracks and side events, which don’t take the story from A to B, but do contribute to the development of the two main characters and to a nostalgic portrait of the San Fernando Valley in California in the 1970s., an area bordering Los Angeles and Hollywood where Anderson grew up.

The natural acting of lead actors Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim is entirely appropriate to this approach. Hoffman is the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who often worked with Anderson. Alana Haim is one-third of the pop-rock trip HAIM. Her sisters (the other two-third of the band_ and their parents play her family. Alana and Cooper both make their film debut and immediately leave an open, natural impression.

“Licorice Pizza” is one of those films that you cannot really sum up in one sentence. It is fairly long, which bothered me a bit. It dragged at times. And although “Licorice Pizza” is a very strong film, I would most likely never watch it again.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Director: Jeff Fowler
Genre: Action Comedy Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Ben Schwarz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O’Shaughnessy
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 28: AN ACTION COMEDY
 
Description: When the manic Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns to Earth with a new ally, Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elbe), Sonic (Ben Schwarz) and his new friends tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) is all that stands in their way.

Review: “Sonic the Hedgehog”, which came out in 2020, was one of the first videogame movies that showed there was hope for the genre. A movie I didn’t think I would like, really surprised me and I enjoyed the film very much. And when people respond positively to a movie like this, a sequel will be made. And now, 2022, there is “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”.

Dr. Robotnik is back, with a new ally: Knuckles. Together with his new friend Tails, Sonic has to fight this villain.  

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is again a very entertaining movie, with a few fun jokes. And there is enough action for the running time. Jim Carrey is fantastically hilarious as Dr. Robotnik. And adding Knuckles and Tails to the story is also welcome.

Overall, the film, even though entertaining, is a tad too long. The scenes with Sonic’s human friends at a wedding could have been shortened and some could even have been removed. If Sonic was in these scenes too, it would have been more interesting, but they are on an entirely different location and this side-story it takes away from the action and adventure we really want to see.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is a fun family film, an okay sequel.

Rating: 3/ 5