Ink of Blood

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Gone Baby Gone

Posted by cat2002116 on June 28, 2021
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

I normally have an interest in movies based on the trailer/storyline. This might be one of the only movies where I actually noticed the actors who were in it first. In this instance, Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman – both of whom I’ve seen and enjoyed in other movies.

The premise of this movie was one that resonates very deeply. The disappearance of a little girl and a family desperate to find her. Well, the aunt was desperate to find her. The mother was a pretty awful person who didn’t seem to care about Amanda even when she was missing. Helene did have a bit of an emotional breakthrough later on in the film, but it just came across as too little too late.

I thought that Angie and Patrick were both pretty interesting characters who had motivations that were easy to understand all the way through. I think their relationship added a bit more of a human element, especially considering the fact that there was so much action going on in the movie at the time.

I did think there were a lot of things happening that didn’t necessarily feel that connected for a lot of the movie. Patrick had a lot of connections with the ‘shadier’ parts of the neighbourhood, but he was still threatened and honestly didn’t seem to get much further than the police. Then again, maybe that was the point. Two different pairs of people who could only get so far on their own.

It was a bit disappointing not to see as much of Morgan Freeman’s character, Doyle, as I would have expected. Still, I felt the movie was even better when he did appear. He was a character who it was easy to see what drove him. And the desperation to find Amanda felt really vivid and real.

Helene’s friend, I think, was one of the weakest points of the movie. During the interview with the press, she sounds so flat and emotionless. Later on in the movie, that makes a lot more sense, but for a scene right at the beginning…I assumed I was going to be seeing a lot of the same kind of wooden acting. I did think she was meant to be Amanda’s mother at first.

There was some upsetting content in this movie and a lot that really stuck with me by the end. This wasn’t such a cut and dried good guys trying to stop the bad guys movie and I liked that. The characters felt real and three-dimensional, like they were real people. Making mistakes and decisions that weren’t the right ones. Nothing fell nice and easy into their lap. And the consequences felt real.

All in all, I found this movie very engaging with some really good acting and a plot that really stuck with me after watching. But I’m interested to know what any of you think about it!

The Seventh Day

Posted by cat2002116 on June 28, 2021
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

I like horror. I don’t mind blood or gore in movies I don’t need to think too much about, though it is nice to see a movie that’s a bit more subtle. And that was definitely the case with this movie.

The first scene did a good job of setting the feel of the rest of the movie, even though it wasn’t clear how everything fit together at first. I found both Daniel and Peter interesting characters, even if it did follow the whole trope of gruff, reluctant mentor is forced to be partnered with a young, wet-behind-the-ears rookie.

I did like seeing the exchanges between the two of them and it was good to see that, although Daniel was gifted in his learning, he was still ignorant about the real workings of being an exorcist.

I thought there were some pretty good elements of foreshadowing in this movie. By the end, there was a lot that had come together and made sense. However, many of the scenes were pitch black and it was virtually impossible to see what was going on. There was one scene that took place in the prison/police precinct that I’m still left completely confused on exactly what had happened. Plus, I was watching with two of my friends who are blind…so at various points, I was saying, ‘I don’t have a clue what’s going on either.’

There were some good moments of action in this movie, but the jump scares were pretty basic and nothing I hadn’t seen before. Visually, by the end of the movie, I thought it was let down. The whole finale was extremely fast-moving and confusing in comparison to the rest.

I did like the relationship that was shown between Daniel and Charlie, but I would have liked more insight into Daniel’s motivations. Even when Peter asks him, Daniel doesn’t really go into much detail. Even by the end, I didn’t really get a good idea of Daniel’s strength of will/character.

I would have liked to see a bit more of the wider world of this movie. I think there was a lot more that could have been shown. And it was disappointing that the movie seemed to abandon some of the subtlety in favour of jump scares, especially towards the end of the movie.

I did find this movie intriguing to watch, even though I would have liked to see more motivations of the characters and more of the world outside. Plus, I didn’t feel that the end goal made a lot of sense. I think it would be good to see a sequel to this movie, where hopefully some more details are explored and the hints of, ‘You know what it’s like,’ are further explored with Daniel’s character.

The Producers (Musical)

Posted by cat2002116 on June 27, 2021
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

This is the first time I’ve seen this movie and I did find it very entertaining. I did see a bit of the original movie beforehand, though, and couldn’t help but feel that Matthew Broderick wasn’t quite as good as Gene Wilder, at least at first. But I sort of appreciated the fact that there wasn’t quite as much shouting.

I did really enjoy the songs in the movie and the first one did a good job of showing the situation that Max’s character was in. And I couldn’t help but feel there was more than a hint of realism in the song where Leo’s at his office. Being unhappy in work and feeling like you’re doing the same thing over and over is, I think, something that a lot of people can empathise with. But I have to say, that final dancer really creeped me out. Especially right towards the end of the song, where Leo leaves his old boss behind.

I found the lengths they went to in order to get the flop they needed to be quite incredible, really. I couldn’t help but laugh in the scene involving Franz Liebkind. I particularly enjoyed Leo’s responses to the requests that were made; and Max’s responses to those. And the fact that they put their middle fingers up during the oath, but had to keep switching to their forefingers whenever Liebkind looked at them.

I did think the costumes and choreography worked really well in this movie. I especially liked Ulla’s outfits, both when she was in the office and when she was on the stage. I don’t think I found the romance between her and Leo all that engaging, though; I really wasn’t sure how much she understood and her character seemed to shift between very naive/innocent and very adult. And I really don’t know how she managed to interpret ‘tidy up’ as ‘paint the whole office white.’ Though I was amused when Leo and Max reacted very realistically – ‘Ooops, wrong office.’

I did feel there was a lot going on visually in the movie and that there was a lot of comedy, so I felt that developing the relationship between the characters fell rather by the wayside. By the end of the movie, I would have like to see more foreshadowing of the ending speech.

I also did feel that this movie dragged on a bit. There were about three different points that I thought the movie might end and where I thought it would be better ending at those points.

I felt this movie relied more on its humour and visuals rather than developing the relationships between the core characters. It was entertaining to watch and did have some good songs…plus, I did like the scenes that showed the play ‘Springtime For Hitler’. I enjoyed the movie for what it was.

Fast And Furious 9

Posted by cat2002116 on June 27, 2021
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews. Leave a comment

So, I’ve got to admit, the Fast and Furious franchise really isn’t the best one for gritty realism. Or, if I’m honest, realistic at all. It kind of seems like each movie has to outdo itself with really stretching the viewers’ suspension of disbelief.

That being said, I do enjoy the Fast and Furious movies and I did find this one to be really entertaining. I liked the fact that I got to see more of Dom’s history and family life. I think it allowed for a better insight into Dom’s personality and why family is so important to him.

I really like the fact that Brian’s character is still an important part of the movie, despite the actor passing away. I’m glad that Mia made a return to the movie, because it made it clear that family is just as important to her throughout. And some of the actions she took made her stand out independently from the rest of the group.

I found it pretty interesting that there was some flirting with breaking of the fourth wall. I won’t go into details about what happened, but some of the unrealistic parts of what happens to and around the characters do end up addressed. And I really liked that.

There were some pretty good moments of humour in this movie. One particular scene had Ramsey driving a huge van and…well, let me just say that how she was driving was exactly how I would be driving if I ever managed to get behind the wheel of any kind of vehicle.

I have to admit, this movie series does have a bad case of characters not staying dead. As seen from the trailer, Han is very much alive. And there is an explanation provided. The explanation still doesn’t answer all of the questions I had, though.

There was a lot of great action scenes in this movie, but I really couldn’t help but wince at some of the damage that was caused to the general public during the course of some of these chases. It’s like…the good guys are causing huge amounts of damage and huge amount of injuries (and likely deaths) and…it’s not acknowledged? Pretty sure a lot of the cars that were damaged did in fact have people in them.

I loved the bickering/banter between Roman and Tej and it was honestly great to see Ramsey added to the mix. I loved that, although the main focus of the movie was on Dom and his estranged brother, there was still a lot involving the other characters, too. Though I did get a little confused when they split up and there was so much switching between different scenes.

All in all, the movie was good, if pretty repetitive considering it’s the ninth entry in the Fast and Furious franchise. And the younger actors seemed to fit their older roles particularly well. So if you enjoy the franchise, you will probably get some entertainment watching this. But I wouldn’t say it’ll be easy to follow as an introduction to Fast and Furious.

If you do go and see it – there is a mid-credits scene. And if you do go and see it, let me know what you think!

Taken To Sasor

Posted by cat2002116 on August 28, 2020
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Taken To Sasor

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

I’ve always been interested in well-written romances. And while I haven’t read too many alien romances, I was quite eager to read this book when I was given the opportunity to.

While I don’t really like dual first person perspectives, I did think it worked quite well in this book, though I was quite confused by the meeting/melding of the two different cultures. I didn’t really understand how Neyehuu’s people viewed human females. On the one hand, it felt a lot like they only saw them as slaves; on the other, it seemed completely contradicted by what was said and done through the book.

I found the different aspects to Neyehuu’s abilities really intriguing, especially when it came to the fact that his manerak and naxem both seemed to have their own opinions and personalities. I didn’t really know enough about those aspects to know if it was normal for the manerak to be like a split personality.

I liked seeing Mian’s interactions with the other characters, along with Neyehuu. It was really good to see how she found a place for herself in Neyehuu’s people, but there quite a few secondary characters and I did get a bit confused over who was who at times. Out of the secondary characters, though, I found Chimara to be the most engaging. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Mian and I would have liked to see more of her history and relationships with the other characters.

I also really liked that Tekevanki, although really awful to Mian at first, had a lot more depth to her than just being a rivial and part of a love triangle plot. She’s a character I would have been interested in seeing more of.

I liked the glimpses of the different aspects of the cultures, such as the use of the wreaths. I really liked the visuals of the wreaths and the fact that the female was who made the decision, even after the males fought for her.

I did enjoy reading the book. It was easy and engaging and the world was one I’d like to see more of in the future.

The Tech

Posted by cat2002116 on July 30, 2020
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

The Tech

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

Okay, so…I’d ideally give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. The blurb was really intriguing and I actually really love the cover.

The biggest problem I think I had with this book was that I was given far too much information on the one hand…and on the other hand, I didn’t have nearly enough. For instance, there was way too much information given about the personal life of an assassin who only appeared a handful of times (that he liked young(er) American girls, but that had nothing to do with his actions in the book), but on the other hand, Alexander supposedly had problems with being too blunt with her supervisors. This was told to me in the text, not shown through her interactions with said supervisors.

There were various asides that were quite interesting, such as Mike dealing with Aisha and the group of people who later became known as the Cabal. However, lots of information was held back: unnecessarily so, in my opinion. Even by the end of the book, I had no clear idea of just how many people were involved in the Cabal, or who they were and what their end goals were.

While, at first, I found it hard to engage with the secondary characters, I did eventually get to know them. I liked Nancy and Mike the best, although I wasn’t really given the chance to get to know them as much as I would have liked.

I did get confused as to why so much information was being hidden from people by, well, everyone. For instance, Alexander didn’t want her Russian heritage to be known-why? And Mike’s hiding of Aisha made no sense and, in many ways, just seemed to make things so much harder for the team, as he was giving information in such a roundabout way.

I did appreciate the fact that all of the cases were connected in some way, as that did add another layer to everything that was going on. However, certain events seemed to just be ignored. Such as when the suspects in custody were killed. It really didn’t feel belieable that there was no fallout from what had happened.

Ultimately, there was a lot of potential in this book and most of Alexander’s team were well developed characters. However, there was too much going on. Way too much unnecessary information given and characters making choices that made no real sense. I would read a sequel to this book, as I’m honestly curious to see the fallout from what was revealed at the end of this book. However, there was no foreshadowing for the end, which made the whole ‘reveal’ senseless.

Standalone

Posted by cat2002116 on July 10, 2020
Posted in: Books, Reviews, Uncategorized. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

Standalone

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review).

For a long time, I’ve enjoyed horror. Slasher movies, psychological horror…gore or not. So when I originally read the blurb of this book, I was immediately intrigued with the idea.

I felt this book came across more as a snippet into a world. It was good to be thrown into the action almost straight away with Jenkins and his job. However, because there was very little background or information about his past, I was completely thrown about what was going on. In the book, I only had the word of the characters that something was wrong with the jobs they’d gone on. As a reader, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with what I understood was going on.

I was intrigued by the different versions of the ghost/hologram that the four main villains/bad guys had apparently met and who had recruited them, but I did feel like I missed an awful lot of world building and character development. There were hints of a history in Castle and depth to his character, but I was left with one major question: Just how did these people get convinced to murder everyone?

I liked the whole idea of the multiverse and that it was a lot bigger than Jenkins initially realised. Martin and the presenter were intriguing characters, from what I saw of them, though I was a bit lost about exactly what the presenter’s role was.

The short story at the end of the book was another interesting glimpse into the world and it raised a really interesting question. However, I did feel that there were some contradictions during the course of the father’s interactions with his daughter. But I found it really thought-provoking to see how things might progress if a father took his child’s pain so she didn’t have to experience it.

This book could have been expanded and been a lot longer, with other missions and jobs shown. There was a lot of gore in the book, as promised, which provided for some good visuals. I just think that this was a very short book for a very wide universe, or multiverse.

Altered Carbon

Posted by cat2002116 on March 8, 2020
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

After having watched the first season, I was quite eager to read the book and get to know the characters better through the original medium.

Reading the introduction by the author, I had a clear idea in my head of who Kovacs was. An idea that was immediately contradicted with the first chapter of the book. That was interesting, though. It made me think about how people view themselves differently to how those around view them.

Even by the end of the book, I couldn’t say whether I liked or hated Kovacs. He was certainly a character with a lot of depth to him. However, he was the only one I really got to know. Seeing the others through his eyes coloured my perceptions of them a lot.

I wasn’t very clear on exactly what an Envoy did. The book, despite the wide range offered by the stack technology, was very focused on Earth. I did find it interesting to see the disconnect between Kovacs and the sleeve he wore, though. Like when he felt like a passenger being controlled by the original occupant.

It was also good to see the relation between the sleeve and its occupant. Like how Kovacs wasn’t resistant to pain, due to the young female sleeve. Or needing a cigarette because his new sleeve was addicted.

I really liked seeing how the society on Earth had evolved due to the technology, even if I did only get hints of it. The waste of bodies, for instance. I couldn’t understand where all of the sleeves were coming from.

I also would have liked more background to Kovacs. I had so many questions about his history. His relationships. Family. He was an interesting character, but something about him felt unfinished.

This book was an intriguing read, with interesting technology and a main character I would like to see and learn more of. At the same time, it would be good to get a much wider view of the world and society.

Elantris

Posted by cat2002116 on March 8, 2020
Posted in: Books, Reviews. Tagged: books, reviews. Leave a comment

After reading Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson became one of my favourite authors. Even so, it did take me a little while to finish this book. Not because it was hard to read, but I think part of me wanted to draw the book out for as long as possible.

The idea of Elantris was a really intriguing one. Raoden was a character I could relate to right from the start. He had a lot of good qualities that clearly aided him after he was turned.

I did also particularly like Sarene. And I liked her not because of what she did well, but because of what failed. What went wrong. She was clearly an imperfect character and that’s what made her so interesting.

The heroes of this book weren’t the only characters I liked. Hrathen was one I enjoyed learning about. In my opinion, he was a good example of a three-dimensional villain.

I liked being able to see some of the politics and intrigue; the way some of the characters didn’t agree with the King’s actions, but had to work behind the scenes to affect any change.

While, at first, Sarene’s act of an air headed princess did irritate me, it was good to see that it worked against her quite often. And that she had to make adjustments due to not being able to hold onto the act. Compared to her father, she was a much stronger person.

I did find it sad to read about the fate of the people of Elantris. I could definitely get behind Raoden’s actions to change things. I thought I was rooting for them to return to their former glory for a while, but the strength the people ultimately demonstrated made me feel I would have been happy if they’d just made do.

Like Warbreaker, this book is one I would very much enjoy reading again. And I would love to read more books set in the same world.

Fantasy Island

Posted by cat2002116 on March 8, 2020
Posted in: Movies, Reviews. Tagged: movies, reviews.

Who wouldn’t want to live out their greatest fantasy? This movie’s trailer did a good job of setting the scene when it came to showing the feel of the island, from the idyllic atmosphere to how things started to go wrong.

I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the characters through the course of the movie. It was good to learn more about their history and motivations. Even J.D. and Brax, who at first seemed typical party boys, had a much deeper history than it first seemed.

While I did expect the fantasies to take a dark turn, due to the trailer, I felt that it was still done in a way that worked, as a gradual buildup rather than everything turning sour straight away.

It was good to see glimpses of the wider area of the island, though I would have liked a bit more detail of how it actually worked. At various times, the movie seemed to break its own rules.

I did find it harder to relate to Gwen’s fantasy; which I suppose did make sense, given what’s revealed later in the movie. However, I found it difficult to see any mothering instinct in her, despite her claim to have five years worth of memory.

As more was revealed about the characters and their backgrounds, I did start caring about what happened to them a lot more. But honestly, I couldn’t see how the island could ever be a sustainable thing. After all, people would talk. And eventually, it would either be overrun by people desperate to change their lives, or utterly destroyed.

I haven’t seen the series this movie is supposed to tie to, though, so it’s possible that these things do happen.

I did end up enjoying this movie. If you ignore the contradictions, it is entertaining and does have some good characters easy to relate to.

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