20s Movie Review - Saw X

Director: Kevin Greutert
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnove Macody Lund, Stevn Brand, Renata Vaca, Joshua Okamoto, Octavio Hinojosa, Paulette Hernandez, Costas Mandylor, Michael Beach

Description: A sick and desperate John (Tobin Bell) travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure of a miracle cure for his cancer only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable.

Review: Jigsaw wants to play games again, and in this tenth film in the “Saw”-series, John Kramer makes it as bad as possible, too. This installment falls chronologically after the very first one, providing perfect space to delve into Kramer’s psyche. Instead of hiding from his victims, this time he is in the middle of the carnage. Magically, this tenth film manages to make itself indispensable withing the “Saw” franchise. Enough to pull disconnected fans and skeptics back over the line.

Unlike its predecessors, the first half of “Saw X” consists almost entirely of explanation and background. The storyline offers a deeper look in John Kramer’s motivations, especially why he took this work so seriously and went over the top. The central plot point is a life-threatening brain tumor, which leaves him with only a few months to love. Our of sheer desperation, Kramer goes to Mexico for an expensive experimental surgery. But after undergoing it, he soon discovers that he has been lied to.

In this group of con men, Kramer finds his new group of victims and then it is finally time for the well-known traps. Of course, most viewers come for this part of the film, but the first hour is certainly not slow or tedious. It presents intriguing character development.

 As mentioned, most people don’t got to a “Saw” movie for a good plot or intriguing story telling. They want to see blood flow. “Saw X” has more than enough of this. But not only are the characteristic elements of the traps present, but Jigsaw’s pupil Amanda is back on display as well.

“Saw X” wasn’t really a movie I was looking forward to, I didn’t believe we needed it. But it was pleasantly surprised by how good this movie really was. I believe it’s the best since the first film.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Title: Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes # 1)
Author: Elizbeth Lim
Genre: Fantasy/ Young Adult/ Romance
Published: 2021
 
Description: Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
 
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must not speak of it, for every words that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
 
Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to forswear – no matter what the cost.
 
Review: Princess Shiori lives in a world where magic is forbidden. When her stepmother Raikama, a sorcerer herself, catches Shiori using magic, she banishes the princess and turns her six brothers into crimson cranes. For every word Shiori speaks, one brother will die. She has to try and find a way to break the curse.
 
I’m not a fantasy reader, I probably never will be. But this cover spoke to me and I was really interested in the fairytale-like story it seemed to have. I wanted to try and see for myself.  And the book started strong. I was surprisingly enjoying it very much, loved the writing, the world-building, the magical elements. I flew through the first 200 pages.
 
After 200+ pages the book sort of lost me. I didn’t feel anything interesting happened and I really didn’t enjoy the romance. I love Shiori, but didn’t care for her romance with Takkan. And this got the overhand in the second half of the book.
 
This books main theme is family and that family bond. I really enjoyed that. I also loved Shiori’s friend Kiki, who was a paper crane, she magically brings to life. Kiki was actually my favorite character, funny enough.
 
I do think it’s a beautiful book and understand why it’s so well-loved. I felt the same for the first 200+ pages, but after that I just lost interest. And I did not like the ending. I will probably not pick up the second book, just because of that.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Sundial by Catriona Ward

Title: Sundial
Author: Catriona Ward
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Published: 2022
 
Description: All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind. She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.
 
Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive.
 
The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future.
 
Review: “Sundial” is a horror-thriller with a psychological edge to it. Family ties play a big rol in this book.
 
Rob is a school teacher. She is married to Irving and they have two children, Callie and Annie. Rob grew up on the ranch Sundial in the Mojave Desert. Sundial was a dog kennel where experiments with dogs were done by the CIA. The atrocities they witnessed as children shaped Rob and her sister jack into nevertheless troubled individuals. Now Rob herself is experiencing aberrant behavior ins one of the daughters. Her daughter Callie collects animal bones, talks to imaginary figures and seems to bother her younger sister Annie about everything. Mother and daughter wage a silent psychological battle that impacts their entire family. She doesn’t have much use for her husband Irving, either. Irving is one of those types who constantly cheats on her, and he also exhibits quite a few sadistic traits towards Rob. Rob decides to go away with Callie for a while. Back to her childhood home Sundial. She thinks that the past of both herself and Callie may play a role and she wants to come to terms with it.
 
Catriona Ward has written “Sundial” for the most part from Rob’s perspective. But over the course of the story she allows other characters to speak up as well. This does make it necessary to keep your attention. Ward’s style is intriguing, she is not straightforward. The further you read, the more questions arise. And it’s not until the final page that everything becomes clear. It’s not an easy book to read and it’s really weird. The many flashbacks, the thoughts of the characters, the strange events, everything is strangely intertwined.
 
“Sundial” is an intriguing book about a complicated family history and evokes many emotions. Amazement, horror, misunderstanding. Surely this really is one dysfunctional family. The atmosphere evoked by the house and the Mojave Desert is almost as if the house itself is also a character. Dark intimidating, yet for Rob the basis of her existence. The early chapters are more psychological, but later on it’s more horror.

“Sundial” is a good book, with a lot of depth, but it might be too weird for most people.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - American Fiction

Director: Cord Jefferson
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, Keith David, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Erika Alexander, Adam Brody, John Ortiz, Raymond Anthony Thomas
 
Description: A novelist (Jeffrey Wright) who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from Black entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.

Review: In “American Fiction”, a struggling writer is offered a big movie deal for his purposely steretype-filled, accidentally successful novel Fuck. The movie applies critique of the literary world from Percival Everett’s 2001 satirical novel “Erasure” to today’s film world.

When author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison hears from his agent that his books ‘aren’t black enough to sell’, he writes a novel filled with black stereotype out of frustration. He want the book to hold a mirror up to the literary world, about their worship of real and raw stories about the struggles of black people. He calls the book Fuck, pretends it was written by a fugitive criminal and thinks that makes it unpublishable. Of course, it becomes a raging success. He gets a 750 thousand advance and a movie deal.

Debuting director Cord Jefferson based the screenplay of “American Fiction” on the 2001 satirical novel “Erasure”. The criticism of the literary circuit from “Erasure” clearly dates back to the turn of the century. “American Fiction” shifts the focus to a critique of Hollywood. The actual focus is of course Ellison’s personal life.

Ellison is the sole writer in a family of doctors. They own a beach house and have a live-in help. When h is fired as a literature professor at a university in California, de decides to visit his family in Boston. He dislikes them. His brother and sister have always resented him for being his father’s darling. What follows is a personal story.  

I absolutely loved “American Fiction”. An underdog at the Oscars of 2024, that will most likely not win a single award, but really deserves a ton of praise. Not only the movie and its story, but also for actors Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown. Go watch this film, it’s streaming on Amazon Prime.

Rating: 5/ 5

80s Movie Review - Silverado

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Genre: Western/ Action/ Drama/Crime
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 9: A WESTERN
 
Description: A misfit bunch of friends comes together to right the injustice which exist in a small town called Silverado.

Review: Four cowboys brought together by fate arrive in Silverado. A series of events force them to face off against an overpowered force.

In 1985, director Lawrence Kasdan successfully attempted to bring back the big western to the silver screen. Even though he does not innovate the genre, he resumes authentic western mythology and creates an entertaining and adventurous old-fashioned western.

The main reason why “Silverado” is so long, is that each of the four main characters has their own plot line. But the movie does not bore for a moment. There is enough action and tension building to keep one’s attention. Only the subplot surrounding Rosanna Arquette’s characters seems a bit thrown away and isn’t fleshed out.

The four men are cast well. Kevin Kline is the main protagonist. He plays the dryly comic Paden, who tries very hard to put his past behind him. Scott Glenn is the very cool Emmett. His brother Jake is played by Kevin Costner (in his first major role), a young, carefree spirit. And Danny Glover is Mal, a more serious character partly because of his personal situation. But he was my favorite.

We get some great supporting roles by Linda Hunt as  the petite but feisty saloonkeeper Stella. Brian Dennehy as the corrupt sheriff Cobb. And John Cleese makes a brief appearance as a quirky sheriff in a town nearby Silverado.

What also lifts “Silverado” to a higher level is the music by Bruce Broughton. Which is also something I seem to love about westerns: its music. The film looks stunning. I believe that “Silverado” is a fine and sadly underrated masterpiece. Even if you’re not a fan of westerns. I loved it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Book Review - The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman

Title: The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club # 4)
Author: Richard Osman
Genre: Mystery/ Crime
Published: 2023
 
Description: Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club. An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
 
As the gang springs back into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.
 
With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck final run out? And who will be the last devil to die?
 
Review: The elderly members of the Thursday Murder Club always know how to get themselves into the craziest situations, convenient or inconvenient. Such is the case when, on Boxin Day, an acquaintance of the club becomes the victim of an unexpected murder. An innocent box filled with heroin worth over one hundred thousand pounds turns out to be the culprit, but that does not answer the many questions at play in the Thursday Murder Club.
 
“The Last Devil to Die” is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series and for now the last. Author Richard Osman is coming out with a new mystery series, so no new one for the Thursday Murder Club this year.
 
I love a good mystery and Osman does it again. And the expressive characters in this series just stand out. When you’ve spend four books with (most) of them, you just become one of them. The quartet Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are one of the most loveable group of friends I have ever read about. I like each and every single one of them and can only hope that when I’m that age, I have a friendship like that. Joyce, not biased because we share a first name, is still my favorite. And I love her journal entries. She is so wholesome. Ibrahim is my second favorite, I love his diplomatic and charming nature.
 
I think it’s possible to read the book as a standalone, but you will miss out on a few things. You really should read all of them in order. Not only because you will miss details, but also because it’s a very good and solid mystery series.
 
I think “The Last Devil to Die” is my favorite in the series. It’s packed with emotion. It has so much heart, it’s funny, the mystery is captivating and the characters are the highlight. I think Richard Osman can do no wrong when it comes to mystery novels. I can’t wait for his next book.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Mary, Queen of Scots

Director: Josie Rourke
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn
 
Description: Mary Stuart’s (Saoirse Ronan) attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 8: A FILM FROM A EUROPEAN COUNTRY
 
Review: There is a large group of Scots seeking independence from the British. In the sixteenth century, the two nations sharing an island were formally merged. This was preceded by a long difficult feud between two queens. The protestant Elizabeth preferred to see her northern neighbors fall under her empire, though she had no descendants to take the throne. Neighbor Mary Stuart was Catholic and led the Scots for nearly 15 years after claiming the throne from the English.

Mary had already been widowed after two years of marriage after her French husband lost his life. She returned to her homeland at eighteen, where her brother took over. Mary had no intention of getting married again. She extended an outstretched hand to Elizabeth to deal with each other in peace. In London, people thought very differently. Elizabeth even sent a possible suitor to Edinburgh in hopes of appeasing Mary Queen of Scots.

The film features two strong actresses in the main roles. But it’s a long wait to see Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie eventually share the screen. This encounter produces the most exciting verbal fireworks of this royal biopic. A lot of intrigue, secret agendas and scheming precede it.

You should see this film for the acting alone, Ronan and Robbie are amazing. And it’s a beautifully looking film with good political mindgames.

Rating: 3,5 / 5