tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24621254050458128642024-03-12T11:16:40.041-07:00The Literate Kitty<b>The Literate Kitty
<i>A Los Angeles transplant talks books, entertainment, and (occasionally) her cat...</i></b>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-21137023885675459392024-03-11T20:57:00.000-07:002024-03-12T11:16:08.023-07:00Honeymoon from Hell... "Murder Road" Book REVIEW<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When you hear the word “honeymoon”, chances are, you picture a happy couple walking into a posh hotel suite (complete with artfully-folded towel swans surrounded by a heart made of rose petals, laid out on the bed). Holding hands as they stroll along a sandy beach, pausing for long kisses as the sun sets in glorious technicolor behind them. Clinking glasses of bubbly together while lounging in a hot tub, all heart-eyes between them. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">[Basically, what every wedding and travel brochure catering to the newly-hitched advertises in beautifully-printed, vivid colors.]</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, there’s a honeymoon in Simone St. James’ latest novel, too… but darlin’, this ain’t remotely <i>that </i>kind of honeymoon. In fact, you might say that the after-ceremony vacay in <b><i>Murder Road </i></b>would more aptly be called a “<i>bloodymoon</i>”… </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbLTCpyUaEzmHNmpslAgvep_mIM5PU18ZX5o8qq4czLALVY3Zt_s1Lj687Yry7tVgSagQnqKxJTUz3Ydp1cIp8kMenuvj1xX0Z1guko_9Fj73emU3qaIIUuc3gcr2x6E78eubed1e-6gAvXMY2odkxec5sFNCVV2oTry3BwgrroG4Vt3hjXnGlKFZyqM/s762/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-11%20at%208.51.10%20PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsbLTCpyUaEzmHNmpslAgvep_mIM5PU18ZX5o8qq4czLALVY3Zt_s1Lj687Yry7tVgSagQnqKxJTUz3Ydp1cIp8kMenuvj1xX0Z1guko_9Fj73emU3qaIIUuc3gcr2x6E78eubed1e-6gAvXMY2odkxec5sFNCVV2oTry3BwgrroG4Vt3hjXnGlKFZyqM/w212-h320/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-11%20at%208.51.10%20PM.png" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">_______________</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"> </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s 1995, and Eddie and April—the brand-spanking-new Mr. and Mrs. Carter—are cruising along a deserted Michigan road (bizarrely named Atticus Line) late at night, en route to their (decidedly <i>un</i>-beachy, definitely <i>non</i>-exotic) honeymoon destination: an inexpensive little motel in a poky lake town, still a couple of hours away. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">[See, not everyone gets to have those über-over-the-top honeymoons to-die-for.<i> The brochures fudge the truth a bit, what can I say?</i>]</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">April is on radio duty while Eddie drives, trying to find a station (any station) within range to help keep them awake on this lonely stretch of road, made darker by the starless sky. April questions whether Eddie is still on the right path, but there isn’t enough light for her to read the map she fishes from the glovebox.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And then they see it, looming out of the blackness… the shape of a woman, limping unevenly along the road’s shoulder. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With no choice, they stop.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s a young woman, incoherent, and April and Eddie suspect she may be drunk.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When bright headlights suddenly appear and the loud roar of a big 4x4 truck bears down on them, though, the woman starts babbling, clearly terrified. April notices blood seeping beneath her jacket, and quickly bundles the injured woman into the back seat.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The pickup chases them down the desolate road, getting closer and closer and closer… until April finally manages to get directions out of their passenger, and Eddie barely makes a sharp turn onto a side road at the last possible second, leaving the truck behind, barreling on down Atticus Line.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The hospital is as small and unimpressive as the rest of the little town that goes by the name of Coldlake Falls, but the startled staff jump to action, rushing the now-unconscious woman away.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Standing in the hospital entryway, sticky with blood that isn’t their own, April and Eddie debate what they should do next. Wait to talk with the police, or drive away without looking back, and forget what was now feeling like a very doomed honeymoon?</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The prompt arrival of the police answers that question for them.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And when doctors are unable to save the woman—and the police have two suspicious, bloody, out-of-towners in their hands—well, you see how this is gonna go…</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Except… you really can’t. Our honeymooners have inadvertently landed themselves smack-dab in the middle of a whole SERIES of disappearances—<i>and murders</i>—on that very same stretch of Atticus Line.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And the cops? Well, <i>they</i> see a whole lot of things adding up… which means April and Eddie more than have their work cut out for them, if they don’t want this meager honeymoon to turn into a pair of very long prison sentences, spent hopelessly far apart.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">_______________</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You know how some books you can’t put down, and race towards the ending? Whereas others, you just want to linger on, and savor every word, every turn of the page? </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Murder Road</i></b>, for me, was unequivocally BOTH. I wanted, <i>so desperately</i>, to find out the infamous “5 Ws and an H” (who, what, where, when, why, and how, if that’s a head-scratcher)… but at the same time, I definitely did <i>not</i> want to see the end of this book. (Seriously, it’s <i>That. Good.</i>)</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s impossible <i>not</i> to root for April and Eddie… two youngish (mid-to-late-20s) lovebirds, with unexpected backstories full of struggle and hardship, and their believable reactions to the messes they keep finding themselves in, here. For reasons best left for you, dear readers, to find out for yourselves, these two characters feel heartbreakingly real.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Somehow, St. James wraps up everything in a way that feels just right … with an ending that has been haunting me for days, now. And you know what? I’d be surprised if you don’t have a similar experience.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Murder Road</i></b>. Trust me, readers… this is one roadtrip/honeymoon-from-hell you most definitely wanna take. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">~GlamKitty</p><p> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-34692189602675727532023-02-15T14:25:00.010-08:002023-02-18T07:47:47.541-08:00Desperation, Loneliness, and Murder (science fiction book REVIEW of Earthrise)<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;">Generalizations to be made about humankind abound... but for right now, let’s go with something on the lines of,</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">“after humans have completely effed up one place, it’s a sure thing they’ll soon seek out the next place to take over (and immediately set about effing it up in similar fashion)”</i><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;">.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">I mean, it’s pretty much one of our signature moves.</span><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">It isn’t much of a stretch, then, to envision a not-that-far-off future in which we’ve plundered all of Earth’s once-bountiful resources, along with overpopulating our planet to the point of having to seek out new digs to inhabit... <i>namely, the Moon</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">But what comes after <i>that</i>... once the Moon—with its considerably smaller size and limited resources—has likewise been pillaged and overrun by greedy bipedal interlopers?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">The next, most-obvious (meaning, <i>least-inhospitable of all remotely-viable options</i>) candidate, of course. The Red Planet. Mars.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">The thing is, we humans are never content with <i>just</i> brutal pioneering. No, we come armed to the teeth with an arsenal of all our very worst behaviors and attitudes... including—in Jeff D Buchanan’s thought-provoking tale, <b><i>Earthrise</i></b>—the propensity to commit murder.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgcKqiT5-cyj6tIUk0eb3Auuu4RZwoCWPH7wpU4BDF95xNC69SnVmuKPjR9VCB5Rj2ZeaPauKPmM8YyHxDSnMuph0P4QTCjNFjP1o35EImY5fn9-tRrBfnc58ejOWdD6lknWzijsE8ZGM4LJZEuykSzXGBT61SfnOIMToOxpf0cepbtvLToTKuu3w/s3241/Earthrise%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="photo of Earthrise ebook cover and a cocktail" border="0" data-original-height="3241" data-original-width="2559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgcKqiT5-cyj6tIUk0eb3Auuu4RZwoCWPH7wpU4BDF95xNC69SnVmuKPjR9VCB5Rj2ZeaPauKPmM8YyHxDSnMuph0P4QTCjNFjP1o35EImY5fn9-tRrBfnc58ejOWdD6lknWzijsE8ZGM4LJZEuykSzXGBT61SfnOIMToOxpf0cepbtvLToTKuu3w/w253-h320/Earthrise%20cover.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A suitably-red Vodka Grapefruit Gimlet</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-size: 20pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As bad as life on Earth has become, the very <i>last</i> thing police Detective Enerson Drinkwine wants is to be sent on a long-distance assignment to single-handedly solve <i>Mars’ Very First Murder Ever(!!)</i>—and on the downlow, no less, because no one dares tarnish the finally-nearly-ready-for-settlement planet’s claim to “no crime” fame—but nevertheless, that’s where he finds himself.</span><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">[</span><i style="font-size: 20pt;">One could reasonably ask how/why the past-his-prime Drinkwine was chosen, but that answer is simple enough: Drinkwine, some two-plus decades earlier, solved the Moon’s first murder, so the powers-that-be assume that’s his “thing”, now.</i><span style="font-size: 20pt;">]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">Once the novelty of the still-exceedingly-unfriendly Martian landscape begins to wear off, Drinkwine comprehends that the blistering heatwaves, ferocious sandstorms, and serious lack of water are far from the only impediments to solving this murder. How so? Because of the influence wielded by the cadre of ridiculously-powerful, mind-bogglingly-wealthy investors, industrialists, and politicians—each wanting nothing so much as to sweep the untidiness of a random workman’s murder under the proverbial rug, in pursuit of their own, overarching goals of unfettered greed and still more power.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">What none of <i>them</i> counted on, though, was the dogged determination of a man like Drinkwine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">_____________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 20pt;">Earthrise</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> is one of those books that surprised me with its impact. Buchanan uses his words to very good—<i>and sometimes, exquisitely beautiful</i>—effect, as he details one man’s simultaneous journeys into the unknowns of a foreign land and a newly-uncertain future.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">Drinkwine follows in the footsteps of many other fictional detectives... another take on the work-weary, jaded cop who’s solved hundreds of cases over the course of his career, and—regardless of how little he wanted to take on the latest assignment—is equally determined to solve it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">What sets Drinkwine apart, for me, is the palpable air of melancholy which envelops him; I found myself wanting, so much, for this man to find his moment of grace and peace (and, obviously, success, with regard to the case). Buchanan offers extremely tender portrayals of heartbreak, grief, and loneliness... and the lengths one can go to, whilst trying to cope with them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">Seeing as how <b><i>Earthrise</i></b> is a science fiction story, it’s fitting to discuss Mars, for a moment. The author skillfully depicts the vast barrenness and deathly desolation of the place; I could feel the oppressive heat ramping up, the sharp sting of the furiously-blowing sand, and the discordant din and filth at the mines and construction sites where the uneducated (but maybe, somehow-still-hopeful) laborers toil... in sharp contrast with the sanitized, lavish excesses of those places meant for the elite. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">My <b>TL;DR</b> summary? <b><i>Earthrise</i></b> is a tale as much about the loneliness of a man, as about the solving of a crime... with considerable thought given to the nature of life, love, dreams, and desperation, throughout. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;">If you’re in the mood for lyrical prose that meanders gracefully through the harshest of environments, and occasionally makes you really stop to think and feel, <b><i>Earthrise</i></b> is the book you need to read.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20pt;">~<i>GlamKitty</i></span></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-64831960182033392312023-01-31T15:47:00.002-08:002023-02-16T11:07:11.347-08:00What Price Friendship..? (The Things We Do to Our Friends suspense Book Review)<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Keep your enemies close, and your friends, well—<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 18pt;">keep an even closer eye on them...<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPBAq6d--o5LzgxzPJ6oB61Bg--boFOdek8FETSO60jXpEGnaXspBoL4yfR6faM3kNNm0kq-8oNRvmaXxX60gkRIadwKQ33irGdxXYXObmHIUUfQGNRj_fbl015Aen688Dz_O8veqkC_2sCcvgLWW6epVU76sRJbho4r8cjDmNSnOpDZ8qq6sa6n1/s2979/IMG-6860.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2979" data-original-width="2887" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPBAq6d--o5LzgxzPJ6oB61Bg--boFOdek8FETSO60jXpEGnaXspBoL4yfR6faM3kNNm0kq-8oNRvmaXxX60gkRIadwKQ33irGdxXYXObmHIUUfQGNRj_fbl015Aen688Dz_O8veqkC_2sCcvgLWW6epVU76sRJbho4r8cjDmNSnOpDZ8qq6sa6n1/w388-h400/IMG-6860.jpg" width="388" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The damage we do—or at least, that we <i>can</i> do—to each other, is horribly immense in its scope and variety.</span> </p><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">We’ve become inured to it, frankly, because we see it EVERYWHERE. Trolls going off on some<i>one</i> or some<i>thing</i>, online. Hate speech. Political upheavals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">But we also see it closer to home. Family members, intentionally hurting or neglecting those they should hold precious. Lovers, seemingly forgetting all of the reasons they came together, in the first place.</span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">And close friends, taking perverse delight in using and wounding those whose darkest secrets they carry and were sworn to protect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Heather Darwent gives us a look at all of these in her compelling psychological suspense debut, <b><i>The Things We Do to Our Friends</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Often people choose universities where they’ll feel right at home… either because the school is, <i>literally</i>, close to their home, or because many friends go there. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">But a smaller group (including me) choose the opposite... a place where <i>no one</i> knows them. Where they can finally <i>become</i> who they <i>really</i> are... or at least, who they want most to <i>be</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Clare falls into that latter camp. She selects a <i>tabula rasa</i> for her studies… the University of Edinburgh (a far cry from Paris), where no one knows a single thing about her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">It’s hard, setting out on your own, but it’s the only way to make a new beginning, to craft a new “you”…which is something Clare <i>very</i> much wants to do.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">She finds a room with two other girls (nice enough, but not the sort she wants for friends). She gets a part-time job in a dive bar (and also into a “situationship” with the pleasantly-ordinary barkeep, because, well... <i>needs must</i>). She signs up for a typically-motley group of freshman classes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">And on the very first day of art history class, Clare spots THEM.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The girls she wants to become.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">They’re so obviously the embodiment of her goal... a trio of young women radiating confidence, smelling of wealth and posh living, and exuding the assured power that only the most-privileged girls can. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The hierarchy is easy for Clare to parse: beautiful, reed-thin blonde Tabitha is <i>The One</i>... the undeniable leader <i>anyone</i> would follow (straight into an inferno or off a gangplank into the midnight depths of the ocean, most likely). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The other two, in sharp contrast, are <i>The Support Staff</i>. Imogen, the plainer and pragmatical one, who gets things done; and Ava, the exotically-foreign-born picture of elegance, dripping with money and an ineffable “otherness”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Gradually, Clare manages to find an “in”. The three girls—along with Tabitha’s handsome, lad-about-town childhood friend, Samuel—begin to include Clare in their lives... inviting her over for dinners and fun nights in (or out).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Is she “one of them”? No, no... not <i>that</i>, certainly... but she’s closer than anyone else is, which is a pretty big deal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">As the semester wears on, though—and Clare is privy to more of Tabitha-and-company’s plans—she begins to realize that she isn’t the only one with a motive <i>other</i> than pure, altruistic friendship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The girls (and Samuel) have hatched a <i>Grand Plan</i>--a deviously-dark scheme, which smacks of everything Clare has been trying desperately to run far from--insisting that Clare is an integral part.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">And they won’t take “no” for an answer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">So, she begrudgingly goes along with them... buoyed by Tabitha’s giddy exuberance, and calmed by the casual nonchalance of the other three.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Until she reaches her tipping point, that is... the moment of real clarity, when she sees only one possible way to move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">One where she’s no longer under Tabitha’s spell...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 18pt;">The Things We Do to Our Friends </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">is the book that finally snapped me out of a two+ month-long reading abstinence (yes, really). So, is it good? Definitely.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Darwent’s prose is powerful (and often, lyrical). Clare is a complex young woman, and seeing things through her eyes—all that she <i>thinks</i>, with regard to other people, certainly, but also the things she <i>doesn’t</i> come right out and say or ponder--offers tantalizing glimpses into the past she’s doing her damnedest to leave far behind... but never revealing too much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">My only niggling complaint, if you will, is the speed at which the resolution (<i>The Big Reveal</i>) happens, once Darwent gets there. After the level of suspense maintained throughout the story, the ending fell a bit flat because it was somewhat abrupt. (Nonetheless, the ending completed the story, so in that sense, it was fine.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><b><i>The Things We Do to Our Friends</i></b> is a darkly-twisty <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;">(and twisted) look at the lengths we’ll go to for friendship... and the ones we won’t. Well worth the read. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 18pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt;">~</span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><i>GlamKitty</i></b> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-46036404465881534582022-12-17T21:00:00.004-08:002023-04-26T15:20:16.883-07:00The City--and the World--Say a Tearful Goodbye to an L.A. Native... our Beloved P-22<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16pt;">Tonight I had a good, long, ugly cry.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Not over anything sort of ordinary—not the loss of a loved one, some new personal heartache, or painful memories rearing their ugly heads—but over the passing of someone I never got to meet or see… but who nonetheless left indelible prints upon my heart.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-Iw3M973uVLTcYpHqyGhAO9rswd065eOysFyjnOaXaX3jFUqQu1UVwakV_Tx8FIizPCN1JMEUCYjCbkV9XHX4hs6j0YadWfPlj3jkBzcff9UcdGDyE82hTCE1swwHC51kwxT9o3gEqKy8P-7WO_OHYoeuRZEtmNS121ZAGtmwLDDdjMBvEBu4QEY/s1934/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-17%20at%208.45.10%20PM.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mountain lion P-22, on a hill above the lights of Los Angeles" border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="1934" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-Iw3M973uVLTcYpHqyGhAO9rswd065eOysFyjnOaXaX3jFUqQu1UVwakV_Tx8FIizPCN1JMEUCYjCbkV9XHX4hs6j0YadWfPlj3jkBzcff9UcdGDyE82hTCE1swwHC51kwxT9o3gEqKy8P-7WO_OHYoeuRZEtmNS121ZAGtmwLDDdjMBvEBu4QEY/w400-h230/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-17%20at%208.45.10%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[photo credit: Steve Winter, National Geographic]</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16pt;">Make that <i>pawprints</i>… for the dearly-departed in this instance is the L.A. celeb known ‘round the world as P-22.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">On the off-chance that you’ve somehow never heard of him, dear reader, P-22 was the shockingly long-lived, oft-seen (in public, even!) mountain lion, who called Los Angeles County his home for a decade. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Or, perhaps I should say, <b><i>ruled</i></b><i> </i>L.A. County<i>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">P-22 was still a relative youngster when I came onto the scene, some eight-and-a-half years ago, now, … but I was enchanted, immediately (<i>of course</i>) by tales—<i>and pictorial evidence of sightings!—</i>of this majestic male cougar. He was living proof of what could be possible, despite being surrounded by a world that seemed so devoid of hope for his kind.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">To anyone </span><i style="font-size: 16pt;">outside</i><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> of L.A. (particularly, non-Californians), those of us who live here, live in a </span><i style="font-size: 16pt;">city</i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">. A big, </span><i style="font-size: 16pt;">big</i><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> city. And, for those who visit, well… yes, it’s a huge and </span><i style="font-size: 16pt;">sprawling</i><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> city (where you'll probably experience a traffic jam or two). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But… for those of us who actually <i>live</i> here—who deal with those maddening (and frequently, inexplicable) traffic snarls on a weekly or daily (or worse) basis—this is so much more than just a sprawling city. It’s a megalopolis. A nearly incomprehensibly-vast expanse of wildness (deserts, mountains, and valleys), taken over more and more every single year, by the encroachment of more and more humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Yet there, in the midst of all this insanity, lived P-22 (as well as approximately 100 other, lesser-known, mountain lions). And somehow—by the grace of the Great Cat Gods, perhaps—the King of Them All, P-22, was able to survive and even, sort of, thrive, in all of <i>this</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Until very recently, that is, when he was—after a decade of miraculously avoiding it—hit by a car, while attempting to cross one of our crazy freeways.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Gravely injured, he was eventually captured and brought in for tests, which revealed a host of serious problems--some from old age, but most from the injuries sustained, along with other unspeakably-sad mishaps caused by other forms of contact with mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">And today, a decision was made to euthanize him. To send our beloved P-22 across the Rainbow Bridge, to whatever Feline Valhalla awaits him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I hope it is free of concrete and freeways and the horrible ruckus of vehicles driving much too fast. I hope there are no poisons anywhere for him to accidentally ingest, nor any polluted air for him to breathe, or toxic waters for him to drink. He deserves better than that, in the Afterlife… as, of course, he always deserved (but never got), in <i>this</i> life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">It's so easy to get wrapped up in our all-too-human concerns… and to give nary a thought to the wild, innocent ones who were here long before most of us. Yet it is those that we must make it a point to protect… for if we lose touch with the wild—both inside and outside of ourselves—then what, and who, are we, really?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">May your next incarnation be a glorious one, dear P-22. A piece of the collective hearts of so many Angelenos—and of so many others, around the world—will forever be with you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;">~<i>GlamKitty</i></span></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-63320527263457354232022-12-07T15:36:00.007-08:002022-12-12T19:58:37.456-08:00A Different Spin on "Phantom"... (classic movie REVIEW)<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGDgEzUy7WWry8ARyGS5b27sQGskzE6_Q6VRT561pnLu8i7MeHBu65SubraqrSrB0ciqr0Dl-u7SW8wnVDDalTbW-H5pKkRAaKxb4sCdoT47Us2T4Ka5-upkElmFM55lzd6rYkJvge5N7D2t6L6yVlWx_rUPIrwriQBnPYcIAGH9qyU1_aLCeMovX/s648/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-07%20at%203.30.49%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="518" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGDgEzUy7WWry8ARyGS5b27sQGskzE6_Q6VRT561pnLu8i7MeHBu65SubraqrSrB0ciqr0Dl-u7SW8wnVDDalTbW-H5pKkRAaKxb4sCdoT47Us2T4Ka5-upkElmFM55lzd6rYkJvge5N7D2t6L6yVlWx_rUPIrwriQBnPYcIAGH9qyU1_aLCeMovX/w320-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-07%20at%203.30.49%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Musicals and I have a complicated relationship.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I mean, the whole notion of randomly busting-out-into-song-(and-dance!)-in-the-middle-of-anything-(or-nothing) is—</span><i style="font-size: 16pt;">let’s face it</i><span style="font-size: 16pt;">—kinda odd.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">And don’t even get me started on the songs, themselves. (No, really… <i>don’t get me started</i>. I could go on for a painfully-long time about how much I dislike everything about, say, <b><i>The Sound of Music</i></b>.)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">But, put a <i>rock</i> musical in front of me, and you’ve got my attention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Over the years, I’ve seen my share of those. <b><i>Grease</i></b>. <b><i>Hair.</i></b> <b><i>The Wall.</i></b> <b><i>Jesus Christ Superstar.</i></b> <b><i>Rock of Ages</i></b>. <b><i>Tommy</i></b>. <b><i>We Will Rock You</i></b>. <b><i>Hairspray</i></b>. <b><i>Moulin Rouge</i></b>. <b><i>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</i></b> (which I’ll never really “get” the cult obsession over, but whatever).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">All of which brings me to right now. 2022. When I’ve been asked—<i>challenged, even!</i>—by someone close to me, to watch and review a previously-unheard-of (by me) classic, from 1974… <b><i>Phantom of the Paradise</i></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">So, alrighty then. Challenge accepted!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">It’s sometime in the future-past (<i>past-future?</i>), that nonetheless feels an awful lot like the early 1970s. One Winslow Leach (William Finley), a budding artist/songwriter—nebbish-y talent that he is, with stars in his eyes and budding hope practically bursting out of his heart—approaches the head of a top record label (Mr. Swan, at Death Records) about a recording contract. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">[Okay, I’m goin’ out on a limb and saying Winslow is a little naïve, even for 1974. No one just rocks on up to a record tycoon—waving their sheet music, sporting thick glasses and a goofy demeanor, and soliciting an audience with the bigwig—unless they’re <i>this</i> guy.]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Anyhoo, Winslow gets the treatment that basically everyone watching could predict: he’s summarily (and ingloriously) thrown out on his lanky keister, with naught to show.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Except… while waiting to see the big (well, technically, diminutive, seeing how he’s played by Paul Williams) man, himself, Winslow has managed to fall in love [yes, really, so just go with it] with a pretty—and ridiculously talented—young chanteuse, the no-doubt-fortuitously-named Phoenix (Jessica Harper).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Swan recognizes great lyrics when he hears ‘em, though, and conspires to steal Winslow’s music for his own use (deciding it would be the perfect way to open his swanky new concert hall, the Paradise). Meanwhile, he also ensures that poor Winslow won’t be able to do a damn thing about it, by instructing his goons to plant drugs on the poor sap. The end result? A life sentence at Sing-Sing for the unlucky songwriter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Winslow, as expected, is extremely bitter about his engineered incarceration, and reaches the breaking point just several months in. He manages to bust out of prison… but his face is severely disfigured, in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">From that point on, the damaged artist has a new <i>raison d’être</i>: ruining the dastardly Swan and taking down his empire, while simultaneously rescuing Phoenix (who has since become Swan’s leading lady).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in 0in 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">The kicker? Winslow will be conducting his mission from the shadows... hiding his ruined face behind a drama mask, as he spirits around the eaves and rafters of the Paradise.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">Drawing heavily (and most-obviously) on Gaston Leroux’s novel, <b><i>The Phantom of the Opera</i></b>, this Brian De Palma-penned (and directed) work—billed as a “rock musical comedy horror” film—also pays homage to Oscar Wilde’s <b><i>The Picture of Dorian Gray</i></b> and Goethe’s <b><i>Faust</i></b>, which makes for a neat little twist on the classic <b><i>Phantom</i></b> tale.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">You really do have to be down with ‘70s campiness for this take, because it’s full of over-the-top… well, <i>everything</i>, really (although not to the same degree as <b><i>Rocky Horror</i></b>, for which I was glad). From the wardrobe to the pacing to the (laughably) cheap sets, it’s a total early-‘70s production.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">To my surprise, though, the gothic/camp mashup that is <b><i>Phantom of the Paradise </i></b>actually grew on me while watching it. Finley’s portrayal of Winslow as a gentle, romantic, and sympathetic character is key to making the film work, and I definitely found myself rooting for him. Williams’ Swan—with his puckish demeanor—provides the perfect foil for Winslow’s innocence, because you don’t expect him to be as truly evil as he is. (I definitely <i>wasn’t</i> rooting for <i>him</i>.) Harper may not have a huge role, but she does have a good-sized story arc.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">And speaking of Harper, how about those songs? (<i>Rock musical</i>, remember?) There are some great songs, here… and Harper’s voice is absolutely beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">So, is <b><i>Phantom of the Paradise</i></b> worth a watch? If you enjoy rock musicals—and are fine with a little camp—then I’m gonna say that it definitely is. [And as for the person who issued this challenge? You're welcome. ;-) ] <o:p></o:p></span></p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt;">~<b><i>GlamKitty</i></b></span><p> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-74478306546650032162022-09-15T22:36:00.003-07:002022-09-16T13:17:38.476-07:00Nordic Noir Goes True Crime on Netflix... (The Lørenskog Disappearance REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Does anything have the power to capture the attention quite so much as a true, </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">unsolved</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> crime? </span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Especially when it involves a missing person… someone whom no one would ever expect to vanish into thin air, one day</span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;">? </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: large;">The sudden absence of such a person is the object of </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Lørenskog Disappearance</i>, </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">on Netflix<span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBYPdY0BQdDx984lW-k0LF3guIYE2gDh4SahOkXRobQf-voOGEtX0VNga6TOO07cSIcHnebi6_HR_NrcTPPBQQspWZP4m2dy_YJ_R7bjjPQXm8dr4RIXDVPp0i0EtPIj9hOSS43W3G-aCJsBhAJG7o8WAVOPQkK-tolxroREChurDoDY6w7Jbn5FJ/s808/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-15%20at%2010.25.20%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBYPdY0BQdDx984lW-k0LF3guIYE2gDh4SahOkXRobQf-voOGEtX0VNga6TOO07cSIcHnebi6_HR_NrcTPPBQQspWZP4m2dy_YJ_R7bjjPQXm8dr4RIXDVPp0i0EtPIj9hOSS43W3G-aCJsBhAJG7o8WAVOPQkK-tolxroREChurDoDY6w7Jbn5FJ/w298-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-09-15%20at%2010.25.20%20PM.png" width="298" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A true-to-life case, <b><i>The Lørenskog Disappearance</i></b> tells the story of Anne-Elisabeth Hagen—the septuagenarian wife of a Norwegian billionaire, and mother to their middle-aged children—who disappeared on the last day of October, 2018. She was reported missing by her husband Tom, who told police he'd returned home from work, after failing to reach her by phone, only to find an empty house… with signs of a struggle (some blood, a lone shoe, etc.) the only real indication that something untoward must have happened.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eventually, a ransom demand (of sorts) was made: X-amount of money to be transferred online via Bitcoin, after which Anne-Elisabeth might be returned.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No police were to be involved (as is the norm in every kidnapping case, which <i>everyone who’s ever watched a ransom movie knows</i>)… so of course, the first thing the distraught husband, Tom Hagen, did, was… <i>contact the police</i>. [Not that you could really blame the guy, right? We all know that’s pretty much what most of us would wind up doing, so…] But then—as is probably <i>also </i>typically the case—things most definitely did <i>not</i> go to plan, from that point, on.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">__________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the course of a tight five episodes (an odd number, even for a “limited series”)—and spanning the space of some two years—the story unfolds, and we, as the audience, see it happening through different perspectives… that of the police investigating the disappearance; the journalists covering the story; the lawyers involved in trying to prosecute <i>someone</i>, and those defending the accused; and the informants, doling out whatever bits of info they may possess, in hopes of getting something in return.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Falling neatly under the heading “Nordic Noir” (which, if you’ve been with me for awhile, you already know is among my favorite things to watch and read), <b><i>The Lørenskog Disappearance</i></b> is actually a first for me, being a true-crime tale. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">One thing <i>I</i> really enjoy about Nordic Noir is that there's usually more of a slow-burn to get "there", but YMMV, as they say. [To wit, I know a few people who only watch movies--not series--because they lack the patience needed, to go in-depth with anything. Me, I'm all about digging into all those layers. So, this is an important thing to understand about yourself, is all I'm sayin', here.]</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Although certain liberties <i>have</i> been taken (as we learn via a series of quickly-moving screens during the opening credits), for the purposes of creating a more cohesive storyline for viewers, a genuine sense of urgency—and uncertainty—is well-conveyed, throughout. The missing Anne-Elisabeth is healthy enough, but no longer young; who knows what such an ordeal might do to this poor woman? </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, of equal import is the sense of quiet desperation which permeates the story, as the days turn into weeks, then months, and finally… into <i>years, </i>with no answers. The family—husband and adult children—are put through the emotional wringer. The police are taking the case deadly seriously, working long hours and following every possible clue… but have no leads strong enough to solve it. The media cover every minute tidbit that comes their way (or is leaked)… yet have no amazing breakthroughs or fresh insights, either. A case like this takes its toll on <i>everyone</i>. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have a feeling this will be a polarizing watch for a lot of people… particularly those who prefer their stories tied up with neat little bows. [Spoiler alert: if that’s you, then you may be better off skipping <b><i>The Lørenskog Disappearance</i></b>.] </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the other hand, if your outlook on life accepts that it’s often messy, and concedes that things don’t always have tidy resolutions—<i>that the journey can be at least as important as the destination, </i>basically—then this might be a great fit for you.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m still processing it all… which to me, says it made an impact, on multiple levels.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~<b><i>GlamKitty</i></b></span></p><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-28790238235970997292022-08-28T18:33:00.003-07:002022-09-08T10:57:01.734-07:00What Goes on in those Furry Feline Brains? Netflix takes us "Inside the Mind of a Cat", to find out... (REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">There are lots of self-proclaimed “dog people” out there (like everyone walking their very own Rover, Benji, or Miss Precious between, say, 6 and 7pm), who are allowed to do all <i>sorts</i> of things with their BFF (best furry friend). There are dog parks, sure, and they can go to PetSmart together… but they can also go into a surprising number of other shops, restaurants, and businesses, with Lola the Labradoodle or Sam the Shih Tzu, in tow.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The thing is, that only accounts for about half of the “pet pawrent” population… which begs the question, what about everyone <i>else</i>… namely, the “cat people”?</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There’s still something of a societal disconnect—<i>I mean, where’s the canine equivalent to “crazy cat lady”, hmm?</i>—about sharing your life with one (or more… <i>no judgement!</i>) fluffy feline(s), unlike there is with dogs. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As a proud “catmom” (hmph), I’ve heard it all. </span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>They’re so aloof and anti-social!</i> [Baloney. They just have no incentive to interact with you, especially not if you have <i>that</i> sort of attitude about them.]</span></li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>They don’t do what you tell them to do!</i> [Well, no (and neither would <i>I</i>, for that matter). They weren’t domesticated to serve <i>us</i>. Instead, they have minds of their own, and prefer to do things that make <i>them</i> happy. It’s called independence.]</span></li>
<li style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>You can’t DO stuff with them!</i> [Oh, really? I’ve gone on hikes with my cat—who quite enjoys adventuring on his leash, even as a senior—and we regularly play “cat games” together.]</span></li>
</ul>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The thing is, there’s not enough SCIENCE about a lot of this stuff—certainly not to be able to educate the non-feline-friendly folks out there about the wonders of the <i>other</i> fluffy BFFS.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomKVjUYdME7AmihqRzLz974E6_LV1F64YD3t-dpKWGGfyksxQU-mYAQcRn_YGV05CC8XuuD7gOZgJmrU2i8BCvmrClt7ORV8Kn3qXo9TMTTuhkFTLUxYtaG3v138ZpiBRJIoEpSMNHOcz24JkONUU_GZWN-vfBagsVMM7P3E7QdHl76i1k2yVvGXE/s1212/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-28%20at%206.17.47%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomKVjUYdME7AmihqRzLz974E6_LV1F64YD3t-dpKWGGfyksxQU-mYAQcRn_YGV05CC8XuuD7gOZgJmrU2i8BCvmrClt7ORV8Kn3qXo9TMTTuhkFTLUxYtaG3v138ZpiBRJIoEpSMNHOcz24JkONUU_GZWN-vfBagsVMM7P3E7QdHl76i1k2yVvGXE/w268-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-28%20at%206.17.47%20PM.png" width="268" /></a></span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But all that is (thankfully!) starting to change… and Netflix’s new documentary, <b><i>Inside the Mind of a Cat</i></b>, shows just how it’s being done.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Via a series of interviews with true cat experts—including a cat doctor, veterinary behaviorists, a feline psychologist, and professional cat trainers—the documentary attempts to delve a bit deeper into the motivations, mannerisms, and mystique of the domesticated house cat. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If that were all <b><i>Inside of the Mind of a Cat</i></b> had to offer, it would be plenty interesting, because each of the experts is engaging, passionate, and most definitely well-educated on all things feline. (And don’t worry if you’re not super science-y. The pros keep it light, explaining all of their findings at a level suitable for the whole audience, from children to adults.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The program isn't just full of neat information, though. Under director Andy Mitchell, the accompanying filmed scenes (by cinematographer David Woo), showing cats—well, <i>being cats</i>, in all the various and wonderful ways they do just that—are next-level awesome. From super-secret night haunts (tracked via GPS), to sequences showing the reverence held for them in places like Japan and Istanbul, to behavioral tests, to feats of derring-do (yes, really!), it’s gorgeous (and fascinating) just to look at. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i></i></b></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf4nszIYAVNWQ7fmrqSyjKTIQEFM0uOAKN_x9vuSrBhDh3pLiZIbjdqmltgpWT0fUstrRhXMBgnHNU_IEOzkvJKEsIbQKjZesS4_ueT3V5sMaj4o7B_sU0evRiLwIH4VbFSbGtkj1jVDgFhnpTsn_cVLOnJNZHfL9N1i6InVz6k6BPEhPea7HWYvu/s450/BoominthePark%2005.2020.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="450" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPf4nszIYAVNWQ7fmrqSyjKTIQEFM0uOAKN_x9vuSrBhDh3pLiZIbjdqmltgpWT0fUstrRhXMBgnHNU_IEOzkvJKEsIbQKjZesS4_ueT3V5sMaj4o7B_sU0evRiLwIH4VbFSbGtkj1jVDgFhnpTsn_cVLOnJNZHfL9N1i6InVz6k6BPEhPea7HWYvu/s320/BoominthePark%2005.2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 15-yr-old Ragdoll Boomer, on a walk</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Inside the Mind of a Cat</i></b> may not change the minds of certified “dog people” (the ones who are set on a dislike of cats)… but then again, it just might. </span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for all the “cat people” (and cat-friendly people) out there? It will be a delightful way to spend an hour feeling warm fuzzies about their favorite fluffsters… maybe even with one of them purring nearby.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;">~GlamKitty</span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-65696145951463839722022-08-22T19:01:00.004-07:002022-08-22T19:07:40.423-07:00Think Tuition Prices are Scary? Check out The Finalists (thriller book REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rrcFbHO0snzyVRSaME9KyB7m_hVC4STFAoCMvQjxBdwPqQBhwaHgMyx69ixGwOI7xvduLShprQD-r3kZ_gOS-VE7g_6-fC1YTgRLV60WZrFsUVtMdNRvqJfTgrkCmYBpO2WO9EEcQ85pYevQQSZ9GpJR4iPeafoNhBkASN6Hw8pVqPTHIK6R-iGw/s843/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-22%20at%206.55.04%20PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="565" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rrcFbHO0snzyVRSaME9KyB7m_hVC4STFAoCMvQjxBdwPqQBhwaHgMyx69ixGwOI7xvduLShprQD-r3kZ_gOS-VE7g_6-fC1YTgRLV60WZrFsUVtMdNRvqJfTgrkCmYBpO2WO9EEcQ85pYevQQSZ9GpJR4iPeafoNhBkASN6Hw8pVqPTHIK6R-iGw/w268-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-22%20at%206.55.04%20PM.png" width="268" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I don’t have kids, but if I did? My biggest worry would probably be how I was gonna put them through college. </span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;">Going to university has never been a guarantee in the U.S., but over the last couple of decades, costs have skyrocketed… meaning you either have to be born into money, qualify for a great scholarship, or go into serious debt, to get a degree.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So imagine all the things that might happen if a small, private university held a contest each year—one that only a select few students were even invited to compete in—with the grand prize being <i>everything</i>… a full-ride, <i>plu</i>s a year’s employment at a powerful corporation, after graduation.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">That’s the premise of David Bell’s thriller, <b><i>The Finalists</i></b>, one of the most of-the-moment suspense novels I’ve read in a long time.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It’s a typical spring day—hot, sunny, and beautiful—in Eastern Kentucky, when a group of six college students make their way across campus to the prestigious old Victorian heap otherwise known as Hyde House, for a shot at the coveted Hyde Fellowship—a full scholarship (and subsequent year of employment) only offered to an elite few, each year.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As in years past, the contestants represent every subset—a brainiac; a slam-dunk, with all the right connections; a jock; the totally-woke, P.C. person; a by-the-book rule-follower; and an iconoclast, who gets off on <i>not </i>following the herd. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The rules of the game? Everyone hands over their cell phones once inside, and the doors are locked—from the outside—for the next eight hours, as the contest takes place. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This year will be a little different, though: instead of the current rep from the Hyde Foundation (Nicholas Hyde, the profligate sole heir to the mega-corporation) presiding alone—conducting interviews, assessing the students, and making a final decision—he has decided to include the university’s administrator in charge of retention, funding, and such, in the proceedings… for the first time, ever.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What not a single one of them realizes? The fact that this year, not everyone will be making it out alive.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I’ll be honest: if I’d been the editor, I would’ve made some changes in <b><i>The Finalists,</i></b> because there are definitely some areas that could’ve used improvement. But, it still held my interest well enough to see it through to the end—to get to that whodunnit, dang it!—so I’m giving <i><b>The Finalists</b></i> an easy passing grade… and recommending it to everyone who’s gone to college, or has their own mini-me’s, who at some point <i>will</i>.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">~<i>GlamKitty</i></span> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-24775666834759430792022-08-10T20:15:00.001-07:002022-08-15T15:52:01.073-07:00After a Decade, Danish Sequel More than Worth the Wait (Borgen: Power & Glory REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy06U7eKxCZpg2HGr9rftyOfASzKOBVutdDRm53jgrBCT-aG_GL5vqoX5gfcPIX3zr5wtSDUVRjUlw_lSqhAOaqEUaAuXHmLpbjwYSEK6Zo0oV5_IgUgbFoap4fCA6DvlnxnObJIFAvrxU6yezHXxLckqhQQ73wpPseCk2OR6rOBZKuaXIOc4en_k/s934/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-10%20at%208.08.28%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDy06U7eKxCZpg2HGr9rftyOfASzKOBVutdDRm53jgrBCT-aG_GL5vqoX5gfcPIX3zr5wtSDUVRjUlw_lSqhAOaqEUaAuXHmLpbjwYSEK6Zo0oV5_IgUgbFoap4fCA6DvlnxnObJIFAvrxU6yezHXxLckqhQQ73wpPseCk2OR6rOBZKuaXIOc4en_k/w284-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-10%20at%208.08.28%20PM.png" width="284" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyone who really <i>knows</i> me, knows that I tend to shy away from politics, as much as possible. </span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, like every other "absolute", there's an exception… and when it comes to the (fictionalized) world of modern Danish politics? I’m SO THERE FOR IT… which brings me to <b><i>Borgen: Power and Glory </i></b>[aka, The Best Political Show, streaming <i>anywhere, ever, </i>period], available on Netflix.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But first, a brief history. <b><i>Borgen</i></b> (without the colon or afterwords) offered a brilliant look at the political climate in Denmark, airing from 2010-2013 (which I viewed voraciously, as soon as it was available for U.S. streaming).</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Centering on an up-and-comer—the (fictional) rise to Prime Minister of Moderate-Party-leader-to-co-founder-of-the-New-Democrats, Birgitte Nyborg (the simply-brilliant Sidse Babett Knudsen)—<b><i>Borgen</i></b> offered an unflinching look at exactly what such a trajectory could do to a person (and, equally importantly, to that person’s family and to all of their other relationships)… the highs, of course, but countered by <i>so</i> very, <i>very</i> many lows. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When I—and most likely, the rest of the world—came to the end of <b><i>Borgen</i></b>, we assumed the tale had been told… that Birgitte’s journey had concluded, for us.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And so it seemed… for some nine years.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But apparently that wasn’t the case; Birgitte had another chapter in her story still to be told. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Which brings us to 2022, and <b><i>Borgen: Power & Glory</i></b>.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When <b><i>B:PG</i></b> picks up, Birgitte has been in her current position as Foreign Minister to the new Prime Minister (Signe Kragh, leader of the Labour Party [played by Johanne Louise Schmidt]), for awhile… in a rather different space from where we last saw her. The PM is a decade younger than Birgitte, and über media-savvy—posting casual selfies with pro-femme hashtags to her socials, on the reg.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At home, Birgitte has embraced life as a divorcée, seeing her adult(ish) children, rarely, and forgoing the whole dating scene, entirely. [For the first time, she has both a powerful job <i>and</i> the freedom to make something of it… exactly what she’s always wanted.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s never smooth sailing, though, and the latest problem to be dealt with concerns a huge cache of oil, just discovered off the coast of Greenland (which, as part of the Danish realm, means it’s something Denmark can claim significant interest in).</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The majority of Greenlanders celebrate this news; their population may be small, but good opportunities to make money are even more scarce, and the deposit of oil promises to be enormous.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Birgitte—as a good New Democrat—initially denounces the oil-drilling plan, for the environmental damage it would cause. Only a day or two later, though, finds her making a hard u-turn. Given Greenland’s status as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, apparently Denmark would actually be due the lion’s share of the trillions of kroner which the oil would bring in, so… (we all know how loudly money talks, eh?).</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Her decision to push forward with the drilling sparks not only party-wide dissension, but also ignites a firestorm among the superpowers, with the U.S., Russia, and China all working overtime to ensure the others won’t gain more of a foothold in strategically-placed Greenland.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In short, it’s a royal kerfuffle for Birgitte and her team to try and navigate.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As was the case with the original <b><i>Borgen</i></b>, there are multiple side-plots running concurrently. Here, we see the return of journalist Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen)—now the head of her network’s news division—facing her own troubles, at being a boss. Birgitte’s son, Magnus (Lucas Lynggard Tønnesen), pulls a stunt to free some pigs headed for slaughter, which ends badly (and very publicly). And, Birgitte copes with aging, as she endures some of the worst side effects of menopause (a condition that certainly doesn’t care if she has a very important job, and could do without the hot flashes, sleeplessness, and general discomfort plaguing her). </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I loved <b><i>Borgen: Power & Glory</i></b> from the first beat… at least as much as I loved the original. With its fascinating characters (brilliantly acted, all), ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios, and the same precision of writing—writing which always understands and honors who these characters <i>are</i>, rather than trying to mold them into something they <i>aren’t</i>—there wasn’t a single minute when I doubted the story, when I wasn’t holding my breath to see how someone would act.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is perhaps the only show I can unequivocally say, we really, truly needed… even though I had no idea such was the case, until I watched it. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~<i>GlamKitty</i></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Note: While it isn’t necessary to watch the original </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Borgen </i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">(three seasons), in order to understand what’s going on, here, I would highly recommend you start there, if you’ve never seen it, and watch it straight through. There are some amazing story arcs—some of which carry over—which are best-appreciated by seeing them play out, start to finish.</span> </span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-3307041326717620402022-08-01T19:31:00.001-07:002022-08-23T13:46:09.000-07:00Welsh Detective Show Delivers Genuine Feels... (Hidden TV show REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Out of the myriad things that COVID has brought to our lives (masking, rabid hand washing [and/or hand sanitizing], drive-thru testing and inoculation sites, daily infection and death counts, etc.) since early 2020, “delays and truncations of shows” surely ranks way, <i>way</i> down the list of “Things That Actually Matter”, and yet… given the concomitant rise of streaming, it’s nonetheless another happening worth noting.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Some shows were affected by mere months—no doubt pushed hard by that aforementioned boost in streaming, as many of us sheltered or isolated at home, with suddenly endless time on our hands—while others suffered much longer delays. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Welsh show <b><i>Hidden </i></b>(or <b><i>Craith</i></b>, as known in its native Welsh) was one of the latter; a three-season show, it experienced a gap of three full years between its sophomore and final seasons. But, while that kind of lull could well be too much for many shows to bear, it’s possible that <b><i>Hidden</i></b> may have gotten even stronger for it. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfbnskYkXxAlyjbz64_znbSluWOQiBApXcOXRPySHP3AvR9vqqwsHPwGEBK5wReAo7EcN-cVo_IVNBVViHvUbyzAKKgH5E1ilrXf3Tpshu6GNt39DpHXhAxz3ao-w8XNmlKAPI-gn5OyS3A-QcJH2dt8DSo5NiHAebWWp2nrvWDOsQhgR5j9GYycL/s1250/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-01%20at%207.23.23%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="892" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfbnskYkXxAlyjbz64_znbSluWOQiBApXcOXRPySHP3AvR9vqqwsHPwGEBK5wReAo7EcN-cVo_IVNBVViHvUbyzAKKgH5E1ilrXf3Tpshu6GNt39DpHXhAxz3ao-w8XNmlKAPI-gn5OyS3A-QcJH2dt8DSo5NiHAebWWp2nrvWDOsQhgR5j9GYycL/w285-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-01%20at%207.23.23%20PM.png" width="285" /></a></div>On the surface, <b><i>Hidden</i></b> might not seem like a particularly novel idea: a police detective drama with a female lead. (You could even add “<i>a U.K. police detective…</i>”, with much the same result.) To dismiss it so casually, however, would be a mistake; <b><i>Hidden</i></b> does what it does, really, really well… and never more so, than in its final season.<p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">DCI Cadi John (and her partner, DS Owen Vaughn) head the group in charge of policing a sizable chunk of rural Wales—and oh, what a fantastical place their patch is [but more about that, later]. Thus, the crimes (and criminals) don’t look or feel like the big-city themes we’re so accustomed to seeing. Instead, there are endless rolling hills, moors, and mountains, often swathed in mist. Clouded beaches, abutting the murkily-roiling ocean. Livestock. Mud. Quaint local bars, and decrepit old homesteads. And, a lot of hardy, stoic folks, who seem ill-equipped to crack smiles (let alone, jokes). </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">[Okay, so none of the above necessarily sounds <i>awesome</i>, but trust me, it gets better.]</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The beauty and magic of <b><i>Hidden</i></b> isn’t glamorous settings or gorgeous people; the real wonder of it is the exact <i>opposite</i>. Characters who look, sound, and feel completely real… people who, for one reason or a dozen, have endured hardscrabble lives… and continue doing so. The fact that they have deeply-buried secrets, and harbor long-held grudges and very old hurts, brings them to stunning life, allowing us to see far beyond any “well, he’s just a struggling farmer”, or “who cares, she only has a menial job” initial impressions. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This is a journey you’ll want to take, from beginning to end. For Cadi (beautifully portrayed by Sian Reese-Williams)—and her not-entirely-rosy home life—and for Owen (the equally-believable Sion Davies), on his own complicated path… but also for the lives of everyone they encounter and interact with, along the way. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">You’ll care about everyone you meet in <b><i>Hidden</i></b>. You'll understand the narrow windows of opportunity available to them. You'll root for them, whether or not they're rooting for themselves. And really, at the end of the day, that’s probably the best thing we can ask of a TV show… to draw us out of ourselves, for the time we spend immersing ourselves in others’ stories… which, often, has the side benefit of allowing us to put our own “stuff” into a better, more-workable perspective.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">~GlamKitty</span> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-74269407984945786942022-07-22T21:32:00.004-07:002022-07-23T06:35:02.332-07:00Danish Show Gets MidLife, Relationships, & Murders Right (The Sommerdahl Murders REVIEW)<span style="font-size: medium;">You think you’ve got problems? Well, imagine you’re celebrating (what you thought was) 25 years of wedded bliss, when your partner turns around and tells you that not only are they no longer "feeling it”, but that they haven’t been, for a very long time. So much so, in fact, that they want a divorce.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Ouch.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, put yourself in the partner's shoes. Giving up all of your dreams and aspirations at a young age, to get married and have a child with someone you loved... only to wind up feeling completely sidelined by your spouse's greater dedication to work than to your relationship. Years of canceled-last-second, or entirely forgotten, plans. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Again, <i>ouch</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Or, consider being the third wheel to all of this, for decades. Best friend to one, and long-ago ex to the other, you love and care about both of them, deeply... but in very (<i>very</i>) different ways.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, and did I forget to mention? All of you work closely together, solving murders in a bucolic coastal city.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This triangle is at the core of the completely-engrossing Danish series, <b><i>The Sommerdahl Murders</i></b> (streaming on Acorn TV, which is also available as an add-on subscription through Amazon Prime).</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy7AwwMD9qRHFQi0h3zUyeAjONR0UGOTtD85MOkVNv4A3ypqmJKRq7L8GLPrppT_Pucmzt35xThNIa-zsu-GfAOhA7a7f4V7b4-XMwbz-0sBZebWcT5bKlKuX__nDQ7fOYhOnbeAg3_ePJRCWCjjiD0NC7I-Y1OeWi98kC3Bibvr5wBbGdPs991tm/s704/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-22%20at%209.10.49%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="704" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTy7AwwMD9qRHFQi0h3zUyeAjONR0UGOTtD85MOkVNv4A3ypqmJKRq7L8GLPrppT_Pucmzt35xThNIa-zsu-GfAOhA7a7f4V7b4-XMwbz-0sBZebWcT5bKlKuX__nDQ7fOYhOnbeAg3_ePJRCWCjjiD0NC7I-Y1OeWi98kC3Bibvr5wBbGdPs991tm/w400-h220/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-22%20at%209.10.49%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;">Aside from that, it's a standard (but solid) set of murder mysteries--four per season, each told over the span of two episodes.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Not that these are the boiler-plate murder-mysteries which comprise most of American TV. Thankfully, they lack the insane gloss that pretty much every U.S. detective show must have, instead choosing to focus as much on the mundane lives and relationships of those solving them, as on "the job". [But that sounds boring, you say? Never fear; there's nothing "boring" about what these folks are going through.] </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Dan Sommerdahl—mid-fifties, ruggedly handsome, and really good at his job (heading the murder squad of a small police force in the gorgeous coastal town of Elsinore, Denmark)—is the eponymous detective driving the series, and through whose eyes we see a good portion of the action. He's smart, and a good leader for the murder squad. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But Dan is only one-third of the trifecta. We also see everything through his wife </span><span style="font-size: large;">(soon-to-be ex-wife)</span><span style="font-size: large;">, Marianne’s eyes, in her role as head of the police forensics team. Finally, we get Dan’s best friend (and detective partner) Flemming’s viewpoint and insights. (In addition, there's a solid supporting cast of characters at the police station.) In other words? It takes a village… or at the very least, a small city, here, for these people </span><span style="font-size: large;">work side by side, and—despite whatever personal hells they may be going through, separately or together—</span><i><span style="font-size: medium;">have no choice</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> but to remain professional, and do their jobs… which they</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> <i>do</i></span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There are many reasons to watch <b><i>The Sommerdahl Murders</i></b> (or, just <b><i>Sommerdahl</i></b>, as it’s known in Scandinavia). Foremost, though, is the work of the actors, all of whom are superb, giving wonderfully-nuanced performances as (predominantly) mid-life people, trying to make their way through the complexities of living said lives. Peter Mygind (as Dan) convincingly goes from confused, shocked, and hurt, to furious, within the space of a moment. André Babikian hovers on some annoying/tragic/sexy (but always, palpably-emotional) plane of existence as best friend/partner (and, surprisingly, sensitive and keenly-observant artist), Flemming Torp. And Laura Drasbæk, as caught-in-the-middle-of-everything wife/ex-wife/ex-girlfriend, Marianne, is incredibly, painfully, beautifully real, in her rawness. [As far as I’m concerned, hers is one of the best, most-realistic, mid-life female characters currently on TV, anywhere… and she portrays the complexities of a professional in her situation, brilliantly.] </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Another key aspect (with any show/movie, really) is the setting, and the directors and DPs allow coastal Denmark to absolutely shine, in </span><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">The Sommerdahl Murders</span></i></b><span style="font-size: large;">. Everything is beautiful, and lush, and the water is RIGHT THERE, all the time. [I’m seriously ready to re-schedule my previously, ignominiously-canceled trip to Sweden and Denmark, RIGHT NOW.] </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________ </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I won’t say that the mysteries aren’t reason enough to give this one a watch, because they absolutely are. (They start off well enough, but get progressively stronger as the show continues.) So let me say this: if you watch the first two episodes—and really, you need to give this one two eps to get a real feel for all of the personalities, the situation, the locale, and their world—then it’s almost a guarantee [provided this genre is your bag, which—if you’re still reading—is, itself, a reasonable bet]—that you’ll be hooked. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A compelling, realistic look at basically “ordinary”, mid-life people (and their friends, families, and coworkers), going about their day-to-day lives, in a beautiful setting, as portrayed by talented actors (who genuinely “get” those characters and situations)? <b><i>The Sommerdahl Murders </i></b>is that, in spades. And somehow, it’s even more.
I highly recommend this one. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">[As of 2022, there are three, eight-episode seasons of <b><i>The Sommerdahl Murders</i></b>, which makes for either a great, multi-night binge, or a more-leisurely enjoyed watch. Either way, it’s a must.]</span></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-79092015912938670622022-07-15T23:06:00.060-07:002022-07-16T07:38:42.102-07:00Netflix's Take on Jane Austen's Persuasion Pierces My Soul... But Not in Any Good Way<p><span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-ZyYm2vxTWgUKV4NWg4Wud_wLI4d-_Yzmk8_K1JSKmD6HPlMrPOoZ8uGM5acDy9zLavahGi3xAs1O20kKM-fxxBLi8GsQNbQFVNC-iqBijpbuSXq1C_kjcr6T8ivH2GZD61Ql6Ow7RcG89_6eNA1Rw7KGuq6hrdGxDT1teBg1M0XnWTP2LoRuI3/s896/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%207.22.42%20AM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="624" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA-ZyYm2vxTWgUKV4NWg4Wud_wLI4d-_Yzmk8_K1JSKmD6HPlMrPOoZ8uGM5acDy9zLavahGi3xAs1O20kKM-fxxBLi8GsQNbQFVNC-iqBijpbuSXq1C_kjcr6T8ivH2GZD61Ql6Ow7RcG89_6eNA1Rw7KGuq6hrdGxDT1teBg1M0XnWTP2LoRuI3/w279-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-16%20at%207.22.42%20AM.png" width="279" /></a></span></span></div><p><span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">I just died a hundred little deaths, watching Netflix’s take on Jane Austen’s final published work, </span><b><i>Persuasion</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">. [And, green eyes looking directly at the camera, “I was not the better for it”.]</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>A</span><span>s her last completed story, <b><i>Persuasion</i></b> has always held a special place in my heart, for it is Austen’s most mature, most serious in tone, and most deeply felt… not only for Ms. Austen, who knew of love and loss, but for discerning readers, everywhere. [If you wanted to go out on a high, you’d make <b><i>Persuasion</i></b> your last book.]</span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[It should be noted that I'm fine with </span><i style="font-family: arial;">whatever</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> “favorite” Austen tome anyone prefers, for that is not the point, here; the point, if you will, is that her stories—though set in a very specific period (the early 1800s)—have always translated easily</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, to other generations, other centuries… </span><i style="font-family: arial;">without</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> the use of special plot devices that change the very tone of her witty, incisive writing.]</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Yet, what Netflix gives us today is a mind-numbingly modernized piece, full of cutesy 21st-century tropes, so-obviously-clever-it-hurts dialogue, and inanely-out-of-place behaviors—</span><b><i>Fleabag</i></b><span>-ian convos breaking the fourth wall, hipster turns of phrase, and so forth—all of which clash </span><i>harshly</i><span> with even the commonest of mannerisms embraced during the early-19th-century period, when this tale was penned.</span></span></p><p></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anne Elliot, as portrayed by Dakota Johnson, <i>could’ve</i> been a compelling character. (I mean, even given the crappy writing and directing, she had a couple of moments.) But instead, her portrayal</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">caused me near-physical pains. Austen’s Anne has genuine regrets, and palpable sadness, over the road not chosen (or at least, not taken). Here, however, we get a beautiful woman [purportedly the “plain” one?!? but, </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">whatever</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">]— who has spent the past eight years, following her bad choice of roads taken—lamenting in bubble baths and over-indulging in wine. [Purists, I kid you not. That’s where </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">this</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> Anne goes.] But, that ridiculousness aside, did I believe she was actually suffering, either because of missing out on marrying her true love, or being stuck with her (still) hopelessly-abominable family? No! I did not… and that is a <i>problem</i>.</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And then, we should (briefly) discuss Frederick, as the counterpoint to Anne. Captain Frederick Wentworth, who—eight years previously—had his heart absolutely and irrevocably broken, when Anne was persuaded (by supposedly[?] well-meaning others) to reject his proposal of marriage, due to his lack of fortune or (immediate) prospects? In each of the previous (superior) iterations, the tale’s romantic hero (in 2007’s version, with Rupert Penry-Jones as the stoic Navy man, or 1995’s simply-brilliant Ciarán Hinds, in what will surely go down as the absolute best version, <i>ever</i>), Frederick had strength of character—clearly, a man others would trust, and follow—and capable of the sort of actions that would prove everyone’s trust in him as sound. This Frederick (Cosmo Jarvis), on the other hand, has… well, sort of a desperate look in his eyes, for most of the film’s run time. [<i>Who would follow this man? </i>He doesn’t speak with great authority, nor does he inspire any heroic actions. Instead, he looks… haunted, and hunted. You’d be more apt to confine him to the infirmary than to follow his lead.] And, good looks aside? That ain’t inspiring, y’all.</span></p><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, there are some very nice location shots. Lovely sets (and set dec). Period costuming is grand. But none of that is what <i>makes</i> a movie!</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for the characters (and relationships, which are<i> important</i>) of Admiral and Mrs. Croft? All but non-existent, here! [No doubt, because they were <i>older</i> characters, and we don’t really tend to care about anyone who isn’t younger and beautiful, in the here and now. Ugh.] I find this gravely problematic, because previous takes on the story featured beautifully-nuanced performances (particularly Fiona Shaw and John Woodvine, as Mrs. and Admiral Croft, in 1995), which added depth and informed much of the subsequent actions in the story.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">About the <i>only </i>consistent thing I can name, is the narcissistic Sir Walter Elliot (portrayed, over the years, by Corin Redgrave, Anthony Head, and now, Richard E. Grant). In each case, the actor has gotten an excellent handle on the vain, pompous buffoon of a man which the senior Elliot undoubtedly is. [But seriously, <i>one character </i>done well<i> </i>does not a wonderful telling of this story make!!]</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But, back to what this version of <b><i>Persuasion</i></b> <i>isn’t</i>. It isn’t subtle. It isn’t deeply (or shallowly, if I’m being truthful) emotional. [And honestly, if you shed a tear during <i>this</i> one, it might be time to have your doctor check those meds, again.]</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is occasionally, </span><i>vaguely,</i><span style="font-size: large;"> amusing. [I can titter at a set-up like anyone else.] The problem is that the takeaway from </span><b><i>Persuasion</i></b><span style="font-size: large;"> (in any iteration) shouldn’t be “vaguely amusing”. Like, </span><i>ever</i><span style="font-size: large;">. This is a mature (in tone, in emotion) work of art… with wryly amusing bits, yes(!), and parts that cause you to think… but most of all, full of things that should make your heart feel as though it went through a workout, and emerged, knowing more about itself than it did, previously. [Shorter? You should feel spent and happy, afterward.] </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But with this version? I just felt disappointed. Boo.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZ-nM2ch2J8-EeljCFFmwOQ6xV9kKJYKi0WPZcGLqWXVVIaQBtke5piCI0YNvKT5eR3U1zwEROZrth6Kl_AyKvP0j6eHTKEdY9ds23_cFQ9oGwGdC4NQdwc_1ln9Kr8dzvacYcd4UlBAYEBqthsmw0PJDiOKP2CJJr-phugr2Ww4lcGZfwS1045FW/s3636/Persuasion%20FLORAL%20CRAVINGS%20coctail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3636" data-original-width="2821" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZ-nM2ch2J8-EeljCFFmwOQ6xV9kKJYKi0WPZcGLqWXVVIaQBtke5piCI0YNvKT5eR3U1zwEROZrth6Kl_AyKvP0j6eHTKEdY9ds23_cFQ9oGwGdC4NQdwc_1ln9Kr8dzvacYcd4UlBAYEBqthsmw0PJDiOKP2CJJr-phugr2Ww4lcGZfwS1045FW/s320/Persuasion%20FLORAL%20CRAVINGS%20coctail.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Best thing about this film? My cocktail creation, the "Floral Persuasion".)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">[Side note: I'm so frustrated by this one that I'm posting an unedited review. Maybe I'll go back in to fix the typos and nonsense... and maybe I won't, because I'm just so utterly frustrated. There's your verisimilitude, right there, readers...]</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><br /></p></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-87396891414576963352022-07-03T21:58:00.001-07:002022-07-03T21:58:36.063-07:00Everyone Has Something to Hide... Don't They? ("Don't Look" thriller REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ1zAy6bxQsXHkBQP3VpIwbidSq-4MCeCa64xHmQLInkxJnrWXIkkefQAXlgdq0VNfsNm1bEXqTwrIGpV8qrGJB2rOkUc4Y_6kbvyUhY5M7hUe5K_ek6lVfEk95YnjzBHuTnqJ9aHZCdU6LN6Y9V-qFLXy_bqEaYDc6qtZF3FU_BgPIkyDUm_mfPo/s678/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-03%20at%206.17.54%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="444" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZ1zAy6bxQsXHkBQP3VpIwbidSq-4MCeCa64xHmQLInkxJnrWXIkkefQAXlgdq0VNfsNm1bEXqTwrIGpV8qrGJB2rOkUc4Y_6kbvyUhY5M7hUe5K_ek6lVfEk95YnjzBHuTnqJ9aHZCdU6LN6Y9V-qFLXy_bqEaYDc6qtZF3FU_BgPIkyDUm_mfPo/w263-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-03%20at%206.17.54%20PM.png" width="263" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Most people, I’ve always figured, aren’t like me… because it’s far more common to get into some kinda groove semi-early in life and “settle down” (the marriage/partnership, kids and/or furbabies, a couple cars, and a mortgage)… all of which involves, <i>staying put*</i>.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And <i>that</i> means—whether you really want to, or not—getting to know your neighbors (at least a little bit).</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, even if you don’t invite each other over for backyard barbecues or babysit the others’ kids, most people who live that traditional lifestyle tend to see their neighbors enough to make reasonable assumptions about them. Things like, “<i>they’re good people (or not)</i>”, or “<i>she’s really funny but her wife is a total beyotch</i>”, or maybe “<i>wow, they're the best parents, ever, and I’d give anything to be like them</i>”. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Rarely, though—again, just guessing, here—does anyone ever think to themselves, “I bet that guy’s totally a murderer”. [I mean, property values wouldn’t do well with those kinda thoughts, now, would they?]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The protagonists in David Ellis’ latest, <b><i>Look Closer</i></b>, however, take that neighborly mindset and put a real spin on it. (Maybe.)</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Simon and Vicky are about to celebrate their tenth anniversary, and while they may be lacking in the children/pets department, they’re otherwise about as respectable as it comes; Simon is a well-liked law professor (who comes from lauded legal stock) at a prestigious Chicago university, and wife Vicky works with abused women at a women’s shelter. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They’re the kind of people who may not mingle often or that closely with other homeowners in their upscale neighborhood, but definitely the sort about whom those neighbors would only have very nice things to say.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The thing is, there’s what people <i>think</i> they know about someone, and then there’s the <i>truth</i>… and sometimes, those are very different animals.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, with Simon and Vicky, it’s entirely possible that the picture they project to the world isn’t… well, let’s say, the <i>full picture</i>. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It isn’t until a glamorous woman in the tonier neighborhood adjacent to theirs is murdered, though, that anyone has much reason to even <i>think</i> about Simon and Vicky… much less to question those outward appearances. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yet that’s what happens… slowly, gradually. A dogged detective feels that something is seriously amiss at the crime scene… and she isn’t the type to let her sixth sense about such things go by the wayside.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What skeletons does the law professor have, buried in his past? Like, maybe, the fact that he’d had a fling with the dead woman long, long ago… and that they’d recently reconnected—completely unbeknownst to his wife—again? </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But then again, perhaps Vicky isn’t merely the selfless do-gooder, either… and maybe somehow she knows(<i>? or maybe she doesn’t?</i>), about her husband’s illicit affair, and wants to exact a little revenge… and/or get a little piece of her own??</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Maybe it’s all nothing… or perhaps it’s all a great big <i>something</i>. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One thing is for sure: no one will know, until everything plays out, just what the stakes are in this particular game of life… or, who will emerge the victor.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_____________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><b><i>Look Closer</i></b><span style="font-size: large;"> is one of those books I </span><i>would’ve</i><span style="font-size: large;"> read in one feel swoop, if only I’d had the time. (Instead, I had to space it out over a few days… making those last few pages feel like the best/worst Heinz ketchup ad, ever.)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a tale that needs the space to unfold… in soooo many layers. [I picture Christo’s “Running Fence” being unfurled, here.] But why? Because outward appearances can most definitely be deceiving… especially when those portraying said appearances want that to be the case.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even if you read <b><i>Look Closer</i></b> and think you understand, at some point, where things are headed, my advice would be not to get too cocky… because things with Simon and Vicky are, well, not really <i>at all</i> what they appear. [Nor, for that matter, is much of <i>anything</i> in this book.]</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And how much do I love that? So very, very much! Sure, there’ve been a handful of other notably-fabulous shockers, out there—<b><i>Gone Girl </i></b>would certainly be among the top, for really flipping the script—but <b><i>Look Closer</i></b> nonetheless manages to surprise/shock/titillate/completely immerse the reader in a place of “what if” and “but what now”, and <i>I am there for it</i>. Every single little clue, each clever twist, and all the backstory (of which there’s a perfect amount, doled out at just the right moments), kept me hooked… and guessing.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[Also? It was dead-on <i>cool</i> to read something set in areas that were part of my past, mentioning places I’ve lived and/or visited relatives in, way back when. Life doesn’t only happen in huge cities located on the coasts… or in fictional places; it does its thing in real, lesser-known locales, too. So major cudos to Mr. Ellis for giving this book that, as well.]</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, if you want something to keep <i>you</i> guessing—long past the point where you assume you know everything there is to know, here—then this is most definitely the book you need to pick up, next.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Simply put, <b><i>Look Closer</i></b> is a diabolically-plotted (and executed) winner.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Look Closer</i></b> will be released on July 5, 2022.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">*</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">For many (many) years, I had a very transient lifestyle (although I was married, and did have two furbabies), which meant a ton of moving, across multiple states, and having that whole apartment-living lifestyle… which probably contributed--when I eventually <i>did</i> live in a house (that we owned), for several years--to a rather <i>un</i>-neighborly existence, for the most part. [What can I say? We had zero experience in what that was supposed to be like.]</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span> </span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-18641918963375036032022-06-27T20:31:00.005-07:002022-06-27T20:31:43.963-07:00Murders & Mayhem in Malibu... or, Just Another Day in L.A.? (Movieland book REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There are certain things an Angeleno just accepts as part of life. Insane amounts of traffic, clogging freeways and local access roads alike, for two-thirds of every day. Choppers flying overhead fast and low, at all hours. Perpetual threats of wildfires and earthquakes. The realization that no matter how much you might want to be one of those people who has “beach days”, the chances of such are slim. Some new political scandal, somewhere in the county. Rationalizing those late-night In-and-Out burgers by consuming mass quantities of kale and outrageously-priced juices. Avoiding most of Hollywood like the plague (despite some great theaters and restaurants), due to the overwhelming presence of mentally-unstable transients and gaping tourists (who can never understand why they aren’t running into “stars” at every corner). And—since the arrival of the coronavirus—a resurgence of the rampant crime (that had actually, finally, been on the downswing).</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><i></i><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Why do we accept all of that? Because—dietary choices, aside—there’s not much we can do about most of it. We’ve all gotta live somewhere, and L.A. is where some ten million of us currently lay our heads each night.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lee Goldberg is (or has been) one of those millions, because he writes about all of that, and more, in the latest entry in his series about Detective Eve Ronin, <b><i>Movieland</i></b>.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">_______________</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmyVUhmf0OiZHCUW1khygJ-XwGT2e-xtgc8qamlTbPBW4u3wTFupKbw50xMWYPsSjL02NFLkhrqx5JudswJ4bo18sUvqVSFiXXJ7LWBUr5OValot3zT8RYzstYnUF_fZ3pJSabGqystc96hehK57Hhvv-faDbc2rlHj5JD9Ox2tQs6_6TWqdt56qQ/s682/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-27%20at%208.26.13%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="446" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmyVUhmf0OiZHCUW1khygJ-XwGT2e-xtgc8qamlTbPBW4u3wTFupKbw50xMWYPsSjL02NFLkhrqx5JudswJ4bo18sUvqVSFiXXJ7LWBUr5OValot3zT8RYzstYnUF_fZ3pJSabGqystc96hehK57Hhvv-faDbc2rlHj5JD9Ox2tQs6_6TWqdt56qQ/w261-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-27%20at%208.26.13%20PM.png" width="261" /></a></div>Eve occupies a not-entirely-enviable position in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department… a young female (in a still-predominantly-male arena) detective, just 26 years old, who fast-tracked her way up to that rank and a position at the Lost Hills sheriff’s outpost through a combination of skill, guts, luck, and canny deal-making. (Saying that there are a lot of pissed-off male police—some, with legitimate beefs, but most, just jealous and misogynistic—would be soft-pedaling the situation; Eve is frequently harassed, and often threatened, by a number of those Very Angry Men.)<p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She lucked out, at least, by being paired with a great partner; Duncan (“Donuts”) Pavone is a genuinely-good guy… older, wiser, smart, realistic, and patient—the perfect foil for the impetuous Eve. [The fact that he is now, when <b><i>Movieland</i></b> starts, just two weeks out from his retirement, is something Eve prefers not to dwell on, because he is definitely her rock.]</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When the duo get called to the scene of a tragic double-shooting in nearby Malibu Creek State Park, though, the normally-cool Duncan is the shaken one, because he has seen this same scenario—shotgun blasts, in and around the area—multiple times before… but in each prior instance, was persuaded by the powers-that-be to keep quiet, when his investigations hit brick walls.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This case promises to be a little different, though, because this time, one of the shots was fatal, with the other blast injuring the dead woman’s girlfriend… an outspoken nature blogger, with a long-standing and very vocal dislike of the L.A. police. (“The squeaky wheel”, and all that…)</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Unsurprisingly—if you know <i>anything</i> about politics, <i>anywhere</i>—neither the sheriff’s department nor the park service want the public getting alarmed; the state park is massive, and a huge draw for locals, semi-locals, and tourists, alike (meaning, lots of money flowing in to area businesses and restaurants). And, in this case, Malibu Creek State Park literally is—or, used to be, anyway—<b><i>“Movieland”</i></b>, a huge area where scores of movies and TV shows were shot, in the past (making it, obviously, that much more of a destination location, now).</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, Eve and Duncan begrudgingly start working the case on the down-low, as much as possible… but the perpetrator(s?) have other ideas, and clearly want to be heard.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As Eve faces continuing hassles [originating in the earlier three books in the series, apparently] courtesy of some very angry sheriff’s department gang members—although truth be told, it seems there’s no shortage of people she’s managed to get on the bad side of, in her short policing career—the real question is, will one of them, or maybe even the crazy Malibu Park shooter, get to her, or to Duncan, first… or will our detective duo solve this pesky—and now, deadly—case, once and for all? </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Movieland </i></b>is the first Eve Ronin book I’ve read, so there was a little catching up to do, but Goldberg handles it all smoothly, giving enough backstory to clue the reader in, without going on about anything so long as to annoy already-existing fans. [And that’s definitely saying something, because when an author can’t do that well, it can be really off-putting.]</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Eve is a very “L.A.” character, which, depending on how you feel about our megalopolis, can either be a plus or a negative. She’s the daughter of a now-elderly (but still-recognized) director and a somewhat-younger (but never-recognized) extra. They have issues. She’s grown a tough skin. Those exploits I touched on earlier—the ones that went down in the previous books—have garnered her enough notoriety to net herself a TV show deal, based on her life (which she’s not too keen on, but still accepted, because, <i>money</i>, duh). </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Regardless, Eve comes across as a (mostly) believable young detective, whose past experiences enable her to understand a fair amount that her male counterparts—particularly the older ones—might not. She’s impetuous and eager enough to feel relatable, for her age, and the situations she finds herself in? Well, maybe you’d just have to spend some time in L.A. to get that they’re all actually pretty realistic. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Duncan is a boon to the series, as well—a great foil, and one of those guys you immediately trust and like. [In all my years in this city, I’ve only dealt with a handful of local cops… none of whom fit the negative stereotypes many people have, so trust me when I say, Duncan is the real deal, too.]</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about Goldberg’s handling of the true femme fatale in <b><i>Movieland</i></b>… L.A., itrself. No matter what area Goldberg is talking about (primarily, the far-western San Fernando Valley, here), he gives an excellent sense of place, and attitude, of the environments and the people who inhabit them, which lends the kind of verisimilitude you can only get from someone who knows a place well… warts and all.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>Movieland</i></b> is a fine read, on its own—a suspense/thriller/detective tale that keeps you guessing, and keeps you interested in (and titillated by) all of the many characters which pass through it. For anyone who has already been following Eve’s journey, it must be even that much better.</p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">~GlamKitty</p><p> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-7405244440076475722022-06-12T16:00:00.001-07:002022-06-12T16:06:07.935-07:00A Different Kind of Hero... and a Different Kind of Villain (AND THERE HE KEPT HER thriller REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They say that “kids will be kids”, but, really… what does that even mean, any more? </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">It was one thing, when people rolled their eyes and (mostly) looked the other way at kids cutting classes, going out drag-racing, sneaking cigarettes (or now, more likely some prescription pills) from their parents’ stashes, or having a little party and raiding the liquor cabinet when the folks were out late. Everybody has to grow up… and doing that means doings some certifiably dumb, or dangerous, or whatever-other-terms-the-adults-in-question-deem-appropriate stuff.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">No matter what the “stuff” is, one thing is certain: no kid, in the history of ever, wants to get in trouble for doing it. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But here’s the thing [at least, I <i>think</i>; my only kid has fur, so I’m no expert, here]: some of the stuff parents get mad about is of the “do as I say, not as I do” or “because you’re not old enough” variety… while some of it falls under the “because that’s crazy-dangerous” header. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Joshua Moehling looks at one way the latter can go, in his brilliant new debut thriller, <b><i>And There He Kept Her.</i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><i>_______________ </i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm9vLjls7ZK1-hu91qsN_mR4Hlmbf6Ok4PUSLW5Yb_5xZRFCGilCsSEqCuSr0isDJ4Pl_AQNqro-GfuYhsUhaDdCuUOxglGkdjlZGk9gm0bClQJOShGqB2JPjpREjxA9XuVreNRg4QL2NZh1b2r77N6bcFV2Z4VrTNEu-SLiSU6KXaTNQVBFLFOIa/s3521/IMG-4282.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3521" data-original-width="2990" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm9vLjls7ZK1-hu91qsN_mR4Hlmbf6Ok4PUSLW5Yb_5xZRFCGilCsSEqCuSr0isDJ4Pl_AQNqro-GfuYhsUhaDdCuUOxglGkdjlZGk9gm0bClQJOShGqB2JPjpREjxA9XuVreNRg4QL2NZh1b2r77N6bcFV2Z4VrTNEu-SLiSU6KXaTNQVBFLFOIa/w340-h400/IMG-4282.jpg" width="340" /><span style="text-align: left;">_____________</span></a></i></b></div><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;">When some local kids in a teeny-tiny Minnesota town decide to start looting out-of-the-way (meaning, in the boonies) houses for prescription drugs, it’s a safe bet that things won’t end well… but how <i>not</i> well turns out to worse than anyone could’ve imagined.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Emmett Burr—the very picture of Grumpy Old Man… completely-unlikable, morbidly-obese, and riddled with a veritable cornucopia of debilitating health issues—wouldn’t seem like much of a threat to most people. (If nothing else, you’d take one look at him, and just know you could outrun him… even, most likely, if you had a broken ankle.) But there’s more to Emmett than first (or second, or even third) appearances would suggest… and for the teens foolish enough to decide that robbing him in the wee hours of the night, <i>while he’s at home</i> (presumably asleep), was a good idea? Well, Emmett would beg to differ.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Emmett, you see, has secrets… and not just the I-watch-porn-in-my-underwear-in-broad-daylight kinda secrets (which, yeah, pervy and gross, but not really soooo bizarre). No, Emmett—in his way-out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere ramshackle house—has a whole big terrifying thing that no one else has <i>any</i> idea about.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Well, except for Carl, that is—Emmett’s repulsive neighbor who shares that <i>thing, </i>and has some plans of his own, once Emmett enlists his aid to help deal with those uninvited guests. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But let’s get back to those foolhardy kids-will-be-kids teens… who, as far as everyone else is concerned, mysteriously disappear into thin air. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When a woman walks into the tiny Sandy Lake police station to report her daughter Jenny’s disappearance, it doesn’t take long before acting sheriff Ben Packard—the newish-to-town deputy currently promoted to “acting” status while the real sheriff battles cancer—goes on high alert… partly because he previously spent several years on the job in Minneapolis, and knows of “bad things”, and partly because he happens to be cousins with Jenny’s mom. [Even when family isn’t close, it’s still <i>something</i>, you know?]</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With little to go on—no real clues, only a few, cryptic cell phone texts between Jenny and her also-missing boyfriend, Jesse, and limited GPS tracking data—Ben and his little team start making the rounds of the “usual suspects”: school friends, relatives, known ne’er-do-wells, and so on.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And of course, while the search goes on, so does normal Sandy Lake life… including a decades-long feud between a fabulously-flamboyant, gay trucker/dog rescuer, who moved back into the area many years ago, and his widowed, bible-thumping neighbor, who’s sure that the man living on the next property over is the Devil Incarnate… a situation which Ben finds particularly awkward, having personal issues of his own, in this arena.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With every minute that goes by meaning another minute closer to bad news for Jenny and Jesse, though, Ben realizes that it may be necessary for him to face his own demons—the painful personal history which found him fleeing life in the Twin Cities for a deputy job in Podunk—in order to understand how the villain thinks… and to figure out who the villain <i>is</i>.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But when it comes to a bad guy like Emmett Burr, not even an experienced cop such as Ben can be prepared for the reality of the situation.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I can’t remember the last time I read a book in one day. I honestly can’t. And yet, that’s precisely what happened with <b><i>And There He Kept Her</i></b>. I devoured this impossible-to-put-down tale, which kept getting better, the longer I read.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Moehling clearly has a firm grip on creating compelling characters, and in this, his first published book, he creates several… and one way he does that, is by giving us both a different kind of hero <i>and</i> a different kind of villain.</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ben Packard is a complex, likable, and believable man, and his pain and shame are palpable. Emmett Burr, on the other hand, is… well, not so likable (at all), but <i>is, </i>likewise, exceptionally well-drawn. We get to see how each of these very (very) different men have gotten to the places they are when we meet them… which also forces us to ask ourselves, if maybe we shouldn’t try a little harder to look beyond the surface, beyond only the <i>right now</i> of everyone, because there is always a whole world of stuff that’s happened, which we know little or nothing about, making each of us who we are as we show up, today. [Seriously, the fact that we might walk away feel a measure of compassion for Emmett is a darned impressive feat, on the author’s part.]</p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I would absolutely love to see more books about Ben Packard—a fascinating hero unlike any I’ve read before… and that, right there, may be the best recommendation I can give this wonderfully-compelling thriller, which gets my top marks for a Seriously Great Read. </p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Pick up a copy of <b><i>And There He Kept Her</i></b> when it releases on June 14. I don’t think you’ll be one bit sorry. </p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">~<i>GlamKitty</i></p><p> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-38267008057414373412022-06-08T13:24:00.009-07:002022-06-08T20:06:18.649-07:00The Danger Zone: A Blast from the Past, Done Right... Top Gun: Maverick (REVIEW)<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJ2llCpUs2SoqkslXLBBj-Alifs0SUclamJgbhP5Hl3v1rqclQ6ZKBCTpEGxc06sQ-RxuAGpVQnoUbbXDdlWj3ClIyvbbh-uJI-ZUU_kOzAHd-BaHrWhUpo13Dklrz2aYjxeKwJcLujFNgL9HXrwKPYuAjPhY9m4S-fR92FItbGl4r-k0oRUUz7LE/s697/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-08%20at%201.26.17%20PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="495" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJ2llCpUs2SoqkslXLBBj-Alifs0SUclamJgbhP5Hl3v1rqclQ6ZKBCTpEGxc06sQ-RxuAGpVQnoUbbXDdlWj3ClIyvbbh-uJI-ZUU_kOzAHd-BaHrWhUpo13Dklrz2aYjxeKwJcLujFNgL9HXrwKPYuAjPhY9m4S-fR92FItbGl4r-k0oRUUz7LE/w284-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-08%20at%201.26.17%20PM.png" width="284" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Despite a genuine liking for most—and big, <i>big</i> love for at least one*—Tom Cruise films, there was more than a little trepidation (as I struggled mightily to get comfy in an uncomfortable seat, while a ridiculous number of ads and trailers played on and on, all part of my reward? punishment? for the exorbitant $27 ticket price) about <b><i>Top Gun: Maverick</i></b>, last night.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As a Gen Xer, I saw <b><i>Top Gun</i></b> when it hit the movieplexes, and I was old enough to sort of appreciate the actual dangers which the slick flick only touched on (back when things were still dicey with Russia… erm, make that, <i>back when we were still comfortable acknowledging out loud that things were dicey with Russia</i>)… but plenty young enough not to feel any need to over-dissect anything. It was shiny and pretty and exciting, and that was enough.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Cut to three-and-a-half decades later, though, and <b><i>TG:M</i></b> has considerably more to answer for, from the likes of me—and probably also from a host of others who fell in love with the OG over the years. (We’ve all seen <i>so much</i>, by now… to the point that “jaded” doesn’t even begin to cover it.) </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>TG</i></b> was a <i>great</i> one-and-done movie, for what it was… made back in an era when even a mega-popular movie could still <i>be</i> a one-and-done. But, it turns out, <b><i>TG:M</i></b> was the movie I didn’t even know we kinda-sorta needed today.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Does <b><i>TG:M</i></b> deliver anything new? Nope. Were there any twists I didn’t see coming from a mile away? Not even close. Did it tick all the boxes—killer action sequences, romantic interest, macho posing, close calls, tearjerker moments? Yup, every single expected beat was there, present and accounted for, in formulaic glory. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, you may be asking [I mean, good lord, <i>I hope</i> you’re asking], how on earth can it be a <i>really good film</i>, given the above?<i> </i></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Let me put it this way. You know the trend in Hollywood to take a popular—heck, these days, even a <i>marginally</i>-popular—movie, and remake it, same exact story? (And yes, spare me the arguments in favor of doing so: “We’re making [whatever] for a <i>new</i> generation of younger people, who <i>never saw</i> the original!!1!” Pffft. That’s a mighty poor excuse for being lazy and the opposite of creative... but I digress.) </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, turns out there’s a <i>good </i>way to revisit something: take the original story, and <i>continue</i> it. Add to it. Even if the result shares similarities with the source, it’s still fresh content, with new characters and different situations. (And, oh, I dunno… maybe that “new generation” will like the modern continuation so much, some of them might even—<i>gasp!</i>—seek out the OG, to get the backstory. Stranger things have happened, y’all.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>TG:M</i></b> works fine as a standalone, too; you could watch it as a total newbie (regardless of whatever generation you were born into), and enjoy a complete story without ever feeling lost or left out. (Of course, if you’ve seen the original—one time, a dozen, a hundred—you’ll get an extra thrill every time there’s a little callback to the first film… delivered in ways that even somehow manage, for the most part, to feel more organic than fan service-y.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fantastic clutching-your-armrests-and-holding-your-breath action sequences. An easy-to-follow story. Believable performances of relatable characters. A heart-tugging cameo. All of it adds up to make this an easy, hearty recommendation for a wide variety of audiences… and a sentimental fave, to boot.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~<b><i>GlamKitty</i></b></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">*(did you even notice the asterisk, way up top? well, if so, here you go…;))</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of my absolute favorite movies, <i>ever</i>, is <b><i>The Firm</i></b>… but I’ve actually seen more Tom Cruise films than I can even count, <i>multiple</i> times. Color me a fan, I guess.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: large;"> </span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-39534879261671634462022-06-05T22:40:00.001-07:002022-06-05T22:40:29.202-07:00A Cold Case and Warming Hearts (Troubled Blood book REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Ask anyone who their favorite fictional private eye is, and you’ll find you’ve cast a pretty wide net—granted, one in which some of the same, bigger, fish show up again and again—but ask for their favorite detecting </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">duo</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">, and the resulting catch will likely be noticeably smaller. [Not that the latter won’t also include some repeats; great writing and plotting, as in blood, will always out.]</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Me? Honestly, for my all-time faves, I’m torn between a couple of dynamic, modern duos [which sounds way too superhero-y for this particular discussion, but here we are]: Lynley and Havers (from the mighty pen of Elizabeth George), and Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)’s Strike and Robin. [Yes, I know, </span><i><span style="font-size: medium;">I know</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">. Technically, I should call her “Ellacott”, because a) “and Robin” also skews way too superhero-y, and b) going with last names would be tidier, but… to me, she’s Robin, because she feels more like a good friend. <insert shrugging emoticon here>]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, now that I <i>finally</i> got around to tackling Robert Galbraith’s most-recent behemoth, otherwise known as <b><i>Troubled Blood</i></b>, I’m all in for Camp Cormoran-and-Robin. [See? No, just <i>no</i>. I’m gonna stay with Strike and Robin.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOPX1MY7bH5_cmYEzRP4jL_Ed0Y8RElFKItGYa8LH0EuPyMymdZEPSyZJLInbNgNOQPus5h7m0Nt1hcb3huYnH354_It_tvSR9fHEvkxVRANOhHH--tygg87b2EaAlgSp9-4hUOTvdmsWsBFGm3uer6j63mFkx0_P0QPraWd04FvDhjj9ru9-a0-y/s730/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-05%20at%2010.18.52%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUOPX1MY7bH5_cmYEzRP4jL_Ed0Y8RElFKItGYa8LH0EuPyMymdZEPSyZJLInbNgNOQPus5h7m0Nt1hcb3huYnH354_It_tvSR9fHEvkxVRANOhHH--tygg87b2EaAlgSp9-4hUOTvdmsWsBFGm3uer6j63mFkx0_P0QPraWd04FvDhjj9ru9-a0-y/w259-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-05%20at%2010.18.52%20PM.png" width="259" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Since successfully solving a handful of cases that garnered mega publicity, the detective offices of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott have had no shortage of new cases, or—thankfully—funds. [Not that these two are jetting off on any fancy holidays or living in the laps of luxury, but at least the rents, partners, and staff are now always paid… which is a major step up from when we first met Strike and his fledgling agency, in 2013’s <b><i>The Cuckoo’s Calling</i></b>, which I reviewed way-back-when, <a href="https://theliteratekitty.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-different-kind-of-magic-rowling.html" target="_blank">here</a>.]</span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">During the interim, a few other things happened, as well. Strike wound up paying for his temp secretary, Robin, to take detective classes, after which he eventually made her a full partner. Strike’s long-time, on-again-off-again girlfriend—from whom he made that memorable break so long ago—got married… to someone else. And Robin, who had been with her boyfriend/fiancé forever, got married… then split up, less than a year later, after discovering… well, a major transgression, on his part. [Life, you know? It marches on.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When we pick up with <b><i>Troubled Blood</i></b>, it’s no great surprise that things are yet more hectic at the agency. Strike and Robin now have three contractors working for them as detectives, as well as a full-time secretary (whom Strike has an active dislike for, but that’s sometimes what happens when you have a business partner who also has a say in the hiring of folks), and a roster of active cases filling up everyone’s working hours. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, of course, that’s exactly when a case which Strike—and Robin, when they discuss it—can’t turn down, comes along.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While on a visit to his beloved, ailing aunt, Strike (and his distinctive—and now, well-publicized—appearance) catches the attention of a woman in a bar… not because the woman (who is there with her wife) is interested like <i>that</i>, but because she recognizes the famous detective… and has a case in dire need of solving. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The case in question? When she was an infant, the woman’s mother went missing. As in disappeared, without a trace. It was—conveniently—put down to the work of a serial killer, who’d been active during the same time and vicinity, but no body was ever found, nor did the convicted killer actually claim her as one of his victims.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The (rather substantial) catch? This is a cold, <i>cold</i> case… forty years cold, which means a good number of the people who knew the missing woman, way back when, are probably dead (or nearly so). </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, partly because of his own troubled childhood—the unrecognized, bastard son of a rock star, whose affectionate (but hopelessly-flighty) mom left him more times than he can even remember—Strike feels a strong pull to try his [their, counting Robin] hand at solving this long-cold case, if doing so might help put this woman’s mind a bit at ease.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">The (not-so-surprising) bugaboo? Tackling a case so very long shelved and (almost completely) forgotten—one from another </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">century, </i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">no less—is just as difficult as expected, what with long-dead or impossible-to-trace witnesses and incomplete or missing documents… but made much </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">more</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;"> so by the fact that the first inspector handling it was… seriously troubled. [Think “bat$h!# crazy”, and you’re there.] Going over the inspector’s case notes—covered in bizarre references to the occult, astrology, tarot cards, and other hand-drawn mystical notations which seemingly make no logical sense, whatsoever—Strike and Robin begin having second (and third) thoughts about agreeing to attempt solving this case.</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">On the other hand, even this mass of confusion is a welcome reprieve from the, by turns, aggravating, sad, depressing, and scary things that are going on in their non-work lives. [You know how, no matter how busy you already are, something else inevitably happens, to throw a spanner in the works and completely discombobulate that fragile balance you're trying to maintain? Yeah, that happens here, too.]</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The best thing either Strike or Robin can say is that at least their working relationship is a great one… even as less-than-welcome thoughts (<i>feelings!!</i>) insist on intruding into their carefully-managed equilibrium…</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The major case in question in <b><i>Troubled Blood</i></b> is actually only one of a few the agency is working on, and I really appreciate that Galbraith takes ample time to keep us in the loop on the other cases, as well. (The idea that any detective agency—as with the police, or a law practice—only deals with one case at a time, is naive; all of these professions require the ability for those involved to split their time and energy—their focus—among multiple spinning plates, and we get a great sense of that, here.) And, each of the other cases is genuinely interesting. [That’s good writing, to achieve all of that.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The resolutions—to the things which are, indeed, resolved—are uniformly satisfying. [Granted, in a book that hovers just shy of the 1k-page mark, there’s certainly enough space to satisfy a lot of plots and subplots, so thank goodness for that.] The <i>major</i> case is that of the four-decades-missing-woman, however, and it’s absolutely a doozy… with an “I-so-didn’t-see-<i>that</i>-coming” finale. I enjoyed the getting-there immensely.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The underlying heart of the story, though, is, well… just that, actually: the heart(s) of the business partners, who’ve been coworkers and friends for years, now, are at the point when each has, at last, begun to realize how very much the other means to them. [Those books where a mystery and a romance are all neatly tied up by the final page, done and dusted? Yeah, Galbraith doesn’t write those books, and hooray for that.] This feels like the all-too-real sort of messy progression that happens in real life, and there’s a lot of pleasure to be had in experiencing this one vicariously, through these two incredibly likable, relatable characters.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Troubled Blood</i></b> is the fifth in the Strike/Robin series, and—with the sixth entry set to drop later this summer(!)—now is the perfect time to get caught up, if you haven’t yet done so. [Or, you know, to start from the very beginning. Or to do a re-read. This is Galbraith/Rowling we’re talking about here… and these, as with everything else this prolific author has written, are eminently readable <i>and</i> repeatable.] </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p><div><br /></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-15538891454493788582022-05-21T20:24:00.004-07:002022-06-12T17:33:16.296-07:00When You Gaze Too Long Into the Abyss... Look Out for Those Telling You to Gaze There (Dark Circles Book REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">If there’s one thing I know a little something about, it’s finding myself.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Or—and this is definitely a more accurate way to put it—“being on an endless journey of continually trying to find myself”.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No one goes through life unscathed. There are bumps in the road, myriad traumas (both major and minor), and O<i>h,</i> <i>So. Much.</i> baggage that each of us totes along, wherever we go. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, how do we attack that journey… that is the question. From flat-out denying there even <i>is</i> any learning to be done [in other words, flying the bird at the idea of any and all navel-gazing], to moderate [and essentially solitary] forms of self-exploration—books, online seminars, etc., to time [and boatloads of $] spent on professional therapists, to [once again, time, and boatloads of $] spent on/in/with in-person retreats, courses, programs [and really, whatever else they elect to brand themselves as]… the options are seemingly endless. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Basically, though, it all boils down to something pretty basic: wherever you’re at—in your head, via your bank account, and/or reflective of your innate level of willingness to forge your own path, versus flocking to a group thing [because, #comfortinnumbers, yo!]—there’s some<i>thing</i>, some<i>one</i>, who claims to want to help. To help <i>you</i>.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And… yeah. The nearer you live to a hub of such “help”—<i>hello, L.A.!!!1!</i>—the more of those sources you’re gonna find. [No joke, I know several people who have done—and are still neck-deep in—these über-cultish, pyramid scheme-y, “self-help” <i>things</i>… and it is downright <i>terrifying</i>, how many of them have drunk those particular blends of kool-aid... many of whom still espouse all of the jargon. I wish I didn’t know about this stuff for a fact, but… well, there you are; I <i>do</i>.] </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There could hardly be a more-perfect candidate for… all of <i>that</i>… than the undeniably louche, past-her-starlet period, B-actress, Olivia Reed, in Caite Dolan-Leach’s unputdownable new suspense, <b><i>Dark Circles</i></b>. </span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLDOF_j8ufqmWtbke_x2QjUjgOvi7SoG9YueOHCzAHtEipqaYqWOJwIx6hqVI0bxU6YALLjSb4jKNEGKFhlK4-T9ivkrIQCXFWRkx5rjydoYYAd-x1nepM-DflecMBiydfYMo6pthC0iHldUxrhgo2QKURhOvGzoNWm0suQ_dKgxJ5AzoFIoWNdYL/s3115/IMG-3942.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3115" data-original-width="2990" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLDOF_j8ufqmWtbke_x2QjUjgOvi7SoG9YueOHCzAHtEipqaYqWOJwIx6hqVI0bxU6YALLjSb4jKNEGKFhlK4-T9ivkrIQCXFWRkx5rjydoYYAd-x1nepM-DflecMBiydfYMo6pthC0iHldUxrhgo2QKURhOvGzoNWm0suQ_dKgxJ5AzoFIoWNdYL/w384-h400/IMG-3942.jpg" width="384" /></a></span></div><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Olivia (Liv) Reed is pretty much at the end of her tether. Recently part of a successful TV series [which sounds like something you’d most likely find on, oh, the WB or <i>possibly</i> AMC] about a young woman haunted by ghosts from her past, she’s now reached a point where—said series having run its course—she has more time than any sort of work on her hands, and—in the way of too many people who don’t necessarily like themselves much, at all (but <i>do</i> enjoy the perks of <i>other</i> people admiring them)—she has maybe,<i> finally, </i>gone just a bit too far with her off-screen antics. [To wit, she’s crashed and burned in what is surely one of the worst ways possible—<i>hugely</i>-ingloriously, undies down for a wee piss on a public street, all while yelling, for a sizable chunk of Manhattan to hear, up at the window of her on-again, off-again (and now, famously-cuckholded) ex-boyfriend’s building… every single bit of which was caught on multiple iPhones and videocams.] In short, Ms. Reed needs a time-out… from <i>every</i>thing.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Her long-time (and, obviously, long-suffering) handler, Jess, has a solution: enroll Liv in a few-weeks’ stay at a retreat, a place where the staff have actually dealt with some/any/all of those kinds of issues. [And, notably, in this case, a place that <i>isn’t</i> SoCal, where Liv has already done a number of popular retreats/seminars/cleanses; this time, Jess has chosen the relatively off-the-radar House of Light, in upstate New York.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As with any struggling person—addict or no—Liv is initially less than thrilled with this plan, but, given the repercussions if/when the news of her latest drugs-alcohol-and-sadness-fueled escapades hit the tabloids (and the internet), she acquiesces begrudgingly to her friend’s solution. [Selling it so that the “overworked actress”, clearly in need of a long-overdue break, was seeking to better herself by taking some time off, to do the necessary things? Only the harshest critics wouldn’t want to give her a chance to do that.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And so, she enters the House of Light (HOL)… and is promptly met with reality. Namely, that all contact with the outside world is immediately stripped from her, and that she will abide by the rules and practices of the HOL (including mandatory attendance and participation at all workshops, sessions, and crunchy-granola group activities… as well as be in bed by 8:30pm).</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It goes… about as well as you’d expect. [Seriously, being so regulated would <i>kill</i> me, so I get it.] One—well, not bright spot, but at least <i>interesting</i> one—is Ava, the woman in the next room over, who likes to chat in whispers on the balcony after lights out. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And oh, does Ava have a story to tell. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">According to Ava—a local, who has been periodically visiting the HOL for the past few years, to briefly dry out/find herself—there’s a deadly conspiracy afoot… involving young women—each of whom has been connected to the HOL, as a client or as an employee—dying, in questionable circumstances, in the vicinity of the retreat. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Initially pooh-poohing it, Liv begins to wonder if her new friend might actually be onto something, when another young woman is found dead, just off the retreat's property. When she gets the opportunity to read some of the historical data that Ava has been quietly collecting, she even begins taking the outlandish story more seriously.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The only things Liv has going for her, really, are that she didn’t want to be there in the first place (so, not a willing participant, eager to fall for everything, hook-line-and-sinker), and that she’s been “in the biz” for more than a decade, so she also sees potential in the scandal-adjacent tale that Ava is telling her. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, after a successful (temporary) escape attempt, Liv hatches a viable plan: using a couple of old contacts—with the bones of the idea, and some urging, provided by Ava—she figures out how to do a podcast, wherein she will report on the unbelievable happenings, make her own conjectures, and get audience participation. [And really, as something to take the public’s attention off her own personal debacle, it’s pretty ingenious.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s no great surprise that the podcast takes off like wildfire. [Seriously, who hasn’t watched or listened to some true crime something or other… especially when it’s particularly salacious? We crave the unexplained, the mystery which—perhaps, who knows?!—only we can solve.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, as with any successful business [and don’t ever fool yourself into thinking that any of these self-help schemes, programs, retreats, or whatever they choose to call themselves, aren’t all about the business (money) end of things; their bottom lines are <i>deadly</i>-serious to them], the naysaying of one lone participant [no matter how modestly-famous] isn’t apt to be tolerated benignly. In short, the HOL won’t go down without one <i>helluva</i> fight.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this case, though, neither will one minor actress… who has suddenly, finally, found her own voice… her own questions… and her own power.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_____________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Dark Circles</i></b> was an instantaneous must-read, for me, once I’d discovered what it was about. It hits way too close to home—to my second-hand experiences of this stuff—for it not to resonate strongly.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, it didn’t disappoint. If Dolan-Leach hasn’t personally spent time in a couple-few “programs”, then she has absolutely spoken with plenty of people who have, because she can talk the talk (and the experience). [That’s really important, in a story such as this; as the reader, you really need to understand how people not only wind up participating in such retreats, events, or seminars… but more importantly, in how a sizable number of them are inclined—whether pre-programmed or hard-wired—to fall, <i>hard</i>, for the rhetoric.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">Another thing I really enjoyed was Olivia’s character. She’s… well, really close to the truth of an awful lot of actors, without much of an internal guidepost </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">or </i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">any external ones, to moderate her behaviors and actions. Getting to experience everything from her point of view—and feeling her new (and often, to her, surprising, reactions)—was a great way to understand someone else on a very real level... even if she wasn't always entirely likable. </span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There’s a fascinating mystery at the center of <b><i>Dark Circles</i></b>, as well as plenty of ripped-from-the-headlines [that would be the <i>tabloid</i> headlines] plotting, to earn it a hearty thumbs up for aficionados of psychological suspense yarns and for social media mavens, alike. <b><i>Dark Circles</i></b> is modern, it’s real, and it’s a really good read. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-79707318789484448902022-05-12T20:38:00.000-07:002022-05-12T20:38:29.647-07:00Everything Old is New Again... Even Murder (The Night Shift BOOK REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Where were </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">you</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> on the eve of the new millennium? Taking Prince’s words to heart, out partying like it was 1999 (for one final, crazy night)? Perched nervously in front of your computer, which was—if a host of doomsayers were actually onto something with their wild theories—about to trigger a meltdown of epic proportions, due to some numerical programming snafu that would kick in as the internal clock and calendar ticked over to 2000? Or, maybe you feared [hoped?] the biblical apocalypse was nigh, and you were doing… well, </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">whatever</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> one does to prepare for all of that?</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: large;">No matter where you were or what you were doing on Y2K, though, it was </span><i><span style="font-size: medium;">infinitely</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> better than what happens in Alex Finlay’s chilling thriller </span><b><i><span style="font-size: medium;">The Night Shift</span></i></b><span style="font-size: large;">, wherein that fateful night sees four teenage girls brutally attacked at the Blockbuster where they all work… three of whom are killed, and a fourth, injured. [See? Things could </span><i><span style="font-size: medium;">always</span></i><span style="font-size: large;"> be worse.]</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC0TbPYtRjbdmKITChSu60IC8QfitKMM0RG9N-JzdCxGLhOZ31wuFxEix4Ou5FxJ9sYAJrPEla9F1pb5wFF1RlIPRgkcYntLdzBgSIuvfs6tXg6WIACs1x3JQdcoPVtltX-7FCabOhA0bAFm8VP_ymQ3rl-lhiVHokEQ-VKmFxzsv9F7qMkrF2Y0V/s1200/Lee%20Child.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYC0TbPYtRjbdmKITChSu60IC8QfitKMM0RG9N-JzdCxGLhOZ31wuFxEix4Ou5FxJ9sYAJrPEla9F1pb5wFF1RlIPRgkcYntLdzBgSIuvfs6tXg6WIACs1x3JQdcoPVtltX-7FCabOhA0bAFm8VP_ymQ3rl-lhiVHokEQ-VKmFxzsv9F7qMkrF2Y0V/w400-h300/Lee%20Child.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The police quickly come up with and subsequently arrest a suspect—a young man who was sweet on one of the girls—but once he’s out on bail, he does a runner… virtually disappearing into thin air. He’s just… gone.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But here’s where things get really interesting, because Finlay changes things up by taking the reader straight from the year 2000, to a point some fifteen years later… a night on which the lone survivor of the Y2K attack—Ella, now a therapist—gets a phone call from an old acquaintance—Mr. Steadman, the principal from her high school, whom she hasn’t talked to in years—making a desperate plea for her help.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It’s happened again; four teens were attacked at an ice cream shop, in the same New Jersey town that’s still reeling from the atrocity a decade-and-a-half earlier, and—as in Ella’s case—only one of the four survived, a girl named Jesse. And Ella, being in the unique position to completely grok all the things Jesse feels, is the best possible person to get anything out of the non-communicative girl.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But, as Ella begins working with Jesse—trying to help her piece together her fragmented memories of the horrifying experience, along with two other people close to the case (FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller, and Jesse’s lawyer, Chris)—it becomes less and less clear what part Jesse really played in the shocking tragedy… or precisely how the two glaringly-similar cases might be connected.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I love books in which nothing is clear-cut, because the uncertainty aligns with how I view life: as a winding road with a thousand little by-ways, which we travel down with only the vaguest idea of where we’re going… interacting with many people often, some, just once over the course of a lifetime, and still others, very randomly, but on multiple occasions.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Night Shift</i></b> is very much like that, and just when you think you understand how one thing (event or person) relates—<i>or doesn’t</i>—to another, Finlay turns everything you thought you knew on its head, and surprises you again.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Something else I really appreciation is a story told from multiple perspectives, because it shows how very differently each of us can view the same things… due to what we <i>actually</i> know (see, take part in), of course, but also owing to our unique experiences, which create the personal biases (propensities, beliefs) and fall-back reactions or behaviors from which we operate. <b><i>The Night Shift</i></b> is told from three different perspectives, shifting back and forth between them, as well as shifting in time, between NYE of 1999 and 2015. [If all of that sounds confusing, never fear... it really <i>isn’t</i>; we’re always aware who we’re following, and where along the timeline they are.] </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, and then there’s a nod to my still-to-this-day GOAT movie, <b><i>Fargo</i></b>. [Yes, <i>really</i>. There is no limit to my love for that 1996 film.] Special Agent Sarah Keller—smart, determined, hardworking, and long-suffering Feebie that she is—also happens to be… pregnant. <i>Very,</i> <i>very</i> <i>pregnant</i>, a la <b><i>Fargo</i></b>’s Marge Gunderson (that brilliantly-written Everywoman role so memorably and perfectly portrayed by Frances McDormand). There’s much to be said about the amazing dedication to her job that a third-trimester woman shows, when focussed with laser-like intensity on not only keeping herself and her unborn child safe, but on trying to keep others safe by catching the bad guy. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Night Shift</i></b> is one of those books I <i>really</i> hated to put down--to refill my glass, go to the bathroom, or (I hate to say it) go to sleep--and I hated even more to reach the last page, because the journey getting there was such a fantastic ride. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you love smart, engrossing thrillers (suspense, crime, mystery, what have you), then this one should absolutely go to the top of your list. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Trust me; it’s really <i>that good</i>.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty </span></p><div><br /></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-49701106646646441132022-04-30T18:28:00.005-07:002022-05-01T07:33:34.934-07:00The Price of Celebrity... When "Reality" Bites Back (Harlan Coben's The Match REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Everybody knows the saying—and maybe, most people even </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">believe</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">—“there’s no such thing as bad publicity”.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’ve never considered myself “everybody”, though… and have always found it to be a patently ridiculous truism. (Seriously, it doesn’t take <i>that</i> active an imagination to envision plenty of scenarios in which “bad” publicity would be the polar opposite of “desirable” or “beneficial” for <i>anyone</i>.) And, hilarious jokester that she is, Fate even decided to put <i>me</i> smack in the middle of some <i>very</i> bad publicity, a few years ago, just to make really sure I’d never think otherwise. [<i>Thanks, Fate. Really, got the memo. We’re good.</i>] </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But back to “everybody” (else). What happens to someone who genuinely believes that any publicity is good publicity… until the moment they find out how very wrong that can be? Harlan Coben explores that—and a whole lot more—in his latest thriller, <b><i>The Match</i></b>.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPNj688SrLE9zCdUiFnxnZwanYEf2M4ULy7POim3qcQ6_NOIKf-JAx8GKKfdfvJDbwVJdYldi8cI9dNH9Wns2R4tVGgEuV8LpuV93jDoI4eYPnESseJ1rm5LYHwnSmGpuq0hG72_uecMMn47MlKrPtHxreFoVHXJqU_ANxNih1CMfM3uzhSdjZBNl/s3485/IMG-3288.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3485" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPNj688SrLE9zCdUiFnxnZwanYEf2M4ULy7POim3qcQ6_NOIKf-JAx8GKKfdfvJDbwVJdYldi8cI9dNH9Wns2R4tVGgEuV8LpuV93jDoI4eYPnESseJ1rm5LYHwnSmGpuq0hG72_uecMMn47MlKrPtHxreFoVHXJqU_ANxNih1CMfM3uzhSdjZBNl/w348-h400/IMG-3288.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An effervescent cocktail whilst reading? Don't mind if I do! ;)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Wilde is one of those people who marches to his own beat, full stop. Following his (undoubtedly) memorable introduction in Coben’s preceding book, <b><i>The Boy from the Woods</i></b> (which I haven’t read), the man who mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, all those years ago, a sort of “wolf-boy”—a child with no memories of anything other than living on his own in the woods of upstate New York—remains something of an oddity, a loner… and most definitely someone more comfortable with his beloved forest than with any concrete jungles.</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And yet… the man with no early memories also feels an irresistible pull to find out <i>something</i> about his past: <i>where did he come from? Who were his people, and how on earth did he end up all alone in the wilderness?</i> (Can he “go on” without finding the answers to these questions? Of course; he has a handful of friends [aka the people who found him] if/when he feels the need for some sort of tether or belonging… but there’d at least be <i>something</i> nice in knowing a little bit more.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, he does what we do, now—sends his DNA off to a find-out-about-yourself site, to see if there are any matches.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, voilà, there are. A couple of them, in fact. Someone who seems, miraculously, to be Wilde’s birth father(!), and another relation, a semi-distant cousin. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After a less-than-illuminating meeting with his father [but honestly<i>, </i>what could anyone reasonably expect, after some three-and-a-half-plus decades of not being in contact with each other?], Wilde attempts to reach out to the cousin [figuring the person closer to his own age might have more intel on matters]. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And that’s when things get <i>really</i> interesting… because the cousin, after having found himself in the very brightest of limelights, as a celebrity (in the whole, now-otherwise-completely-ordinary-people-can-suddenly-be-celebs-when-they’re-REALITY-show-faves! genre) who was once a media darling, but—following an epic scandal [<i>Very Bad Publicity</i>, of the absolute <i>worst</i> kind]—has become a media pariah (of equally-epic proportions). In fact, the cousin’s shame is <i>so</i> monumental that it’s made him pull a disappearing act, like he were a famous magician, going “poof!” into thin air.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As Wilde seeks to unravel the mystery behind his cousin’s disappearance—not just <i>where</i> he is, but <i>who</i>, at heart, he is now/was before the whole reality thing, and how things went downhill so quickly—Wilde discovers that he’s far from the only person (or group) looking for the maligned man. Rabid reality fans, local police, a federal alphabet group (or two), <i>and</i> a sketchy dark web entity—known only as “The Stranger”—are all on the manhunt, as well. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Someone</i> will find this missing link to Wilde’s still-unknown past… but will it be Wilde, who only wants to talk (and possibly help) his newfound relative… or will it be someone who wants to make him pay, either in a court of law, or even, worst-case scenario, with his life?</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I knew, when setting out to read <b><i>The Match</i></b>, there was a chance I’d be sitting behind the eight ball, not having read the prior book setting up the characters and Wilde’s situation. I also knew, though—after years of reading him—that Coben is one of those storytelling masters undoubtedly up to the task of getting me up to speed, even without benefit of the first book. [And yeah, if you haven’t already guessed, I was right. Reading <b><i>The Boy from the Woods</i></b> first would be the ideal way to go, here, but I had zero difficulty figuring out the backstory.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Match</i></b> is a deliciously-engrossing, twisty, ripped-from-the-headlines kind of tale, that sets off at a brisk little jog, before diving into a marathon, and ending with a photo-finish-worthy, all-out sprint. [Apparently I need to… run more?] Reading it, I had no idea where, exactly, things were going… and even less, where they’d end up. [Saying that in the <i>best</i> way, in case it wasn’t clear.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As much or more than the intricately-plotted suspense, though, I really appreciated Coben’s commentary pertaining to the vicissitudes of celebrity [or “celebrity”, when dealing with “reality” stars] in the twenty-first century, the lengths people will go to, to try and achieve it, and the myriad potential downfalls available to those who taste it. His observations—carefully interwoven with the tale, itself—are thoughtfully considered and absolutely on-point.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Match</i></b>—like, frankly, <i>anything</i> from Harlan Coben—is an easy (and hearty) recommendation. It’s an of-the-moment thriller not soon forgotten.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, enduring the wait until a filmed version of it comes to Netflix..! ;)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-57168250824152873992022-04-15T21:05:00.013-07:002022-04-16T11:30:18.955-07:00Why Didn't They Ask Evans REVIEW... (Who Knew Dr. House [Hugh Laurie] Could do Agatha Christie Like a BOSS?!?) <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjwfkmVWQ1E-uCUhKHYXFIPCXbAhESVJ0WQ7A-Q-o4OLYSZxJG7bOBxq7CsAU7Lo-jOXjqw9D4ZWlen53TGhpEcOMq-IPmH1oISDysYggB28Q8bwfQYqM2iPhvU3o0zwVeE_8tmJIByYJ0snL6G659QxK0krvRhdtgTlWX0XeyqPTjgupfRTOl-KE/s1196/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-15%20at%208.54.53%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1182" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjwfkmVWQ1E-uCUhKHYXFIPCXbAhESVJ0WQ7A-Q-o4OLYSZxJG7bOBxq7CsAU7Lo-jOXjqw9D4ZWlen53TGhpEcOMq-IPmH1oISDysYggB28Q8bwfQYqM2iPhvU3o0zwVeE_8tmJIByYJ0snL6G659QxK0krvRhdtgTlWX0XeyqPTjgupfRTOl-KE/w395-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-15%20at%208.54.53%20PM.png" width="395" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Delightfully bringing to mind all of those effervescent, cinematic comedies of the ‘30s and ‘40s—the ones where witty, rapid-fire banter bounced between the leads like a game of profesh table tennis, and love eventually reigned supreme (but only</span> <i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">after</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> a whole lot of satisfying ups/downs and assorted feats of derring do)—BritBox’s new </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> ticks </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">all</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> of the boxes for a modern-day, old-school romp… and maaaaaaan, am I HERE for it!</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: medium;">***************<br /></span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Penned (and directed) by Hugh Laurie [Dr. House, anyone?], this screenplay—based on an Agatha Christie story of the same name—is a bonafide classic, interpreted brilliantly.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead of completely modernizing it, though, and trying to make some grand statement about… well, <i>whatever</i>… he stays true to the heart of it, complete with intelligent main characters who want nothing so much as to solve a good mystery.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While out caddying for his old doctor-cum-fellow-war-vet-cum-mentor, the recently-back-from-said-war (and vicar’s son) Bobby Jones stumbles upon a man who has… well, found himself suddenly off a rather substantial cliff. (How this off-the-cliffing occurred—by choice or not—Bobby has nary a clue.) One significant thing takes place, though, after young Bobby has made it down the treacherous cliffside to the bottom, where the stranger lies broken: the man gasps out a seemingly-nonsensical question, “Why didn’t they ask Evans?”, then promptly expires.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And Bobby has questions. [Not of the dead man… but of <i>others</i>, most definitely.] Questions… which the inquest does not fully answer. (A mystery woman seen briefly by Bobby on a photo in the dead man’s pocket… does not match the woman claiming to be the same, at the formal hearing. And Bobby definitely didn’t get the feeling that this man jumped on purpose… especially not considering the rather odd--and absolutely peculiar--question uttered. Plus, where is the unknown gent whom Bobby eventually left to watch over the dead man before the police arrived, when Bobby had to scoot off to church?)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, Bobby’s childhood friend, the now-also-grown-up--and quite attractively so--(Lady) Frances (Frankie, if you please) Derwent, is back in the area, and… very interested in Bobby’s near-death (minus-just-one-small-degree-of-separation) experience [<i>among other things</i>…].</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, if you know <i>anything</i> about classic films—especially those blessed with vivacious and brilliant women as the leads—then you can probably figure out what’s gonna happen next. Yes, Frankie (okay, <i>fine</i>, with a <i>teensy</i> bit of help from Bobby and his best pal, Knocker) devise a plan to uncover whatever’s behind… well, at least the absent watcher’s part in everything. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The plan she/they devise—and how everything transpires from that point? Well, you simply MUST watch, to experience all of <i>that</i>. [Suffice it to say, there is the most-delicious abundance of witty repartee, and overthinking, and inevitable-yet-still-somehow-surprising twists of events, which… NO, seriously, you need to do this on your own. It’s simply too much fun to have any tiny portion of it spoiled for you!]</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The writing for <b><i>Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?</i></b> (circa 2022) is truly <i>superb</i>. (Like, I’m transported to a Cary Grant/Rosalind Russell/Katherine Hepburn/Jimmy Stewart/etc., black-and-white <i>gem</i>, in all its delightful glory.) Nothing is forced, here; the nearly-three-hour run time (split into a trio of almost-hour-long chunks for the modern streaming viewers’ convenience) is the perfect length to get a real feel for everyone, and for the environments. [I can only think that Laurie has a genuine love for this genre, because he does it fantastic justice.] </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The set design, location shots, and costuming are all outstanding. As a viewer, you get a real feel for small-town English life in the early-to-mid 1930s (for both the more-common folk <i>and</i> for the gentrified). </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And, in true Christie form, there’s that persistent “how-on-<i>earth</i>-will-this-all-wrap-up?!?” feeling, as our intrepid leads, Bobby and Frankie, work their way down an ever-shortening list of possible motives and miscreants. [Never fear, for it most definitely <i>does</i> wrap up, in clever form, and with plenty of “after thats”, as well..!]</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As bubbly as a flute of champagne, as sweet as a box of Sugar Babies, and as savory as a... [sorry, a proper '30s meat dish is eluding me, right now] juicy slab of beef(?)... this one has it all.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>So much so, in fact, that the hugely-grinning emoji? That was, quite literally, me, after watching the final credits on </span><b><i>Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?</i></b><span>. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had so quite so much sheer </span><i>fun</i><span> watching anything new.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">[<b>tldr:</b> This is classic-madcap fun. Watch. Enjoy. Thank me later.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(If you're struggling to access Britbox, it's available for easy subscription via Amazon Prime) </span></p><div><br /></div></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-45902417699419735792022-03-24T21:58:00.008-07:002022-03-26T13:30:27.964-07:00My No-Predictions Take on the Oscars Best Pics, 2022...<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Deep into this week-leading-up-to-the-Oscars, you can’t turn around (not here in L.A., at least) without <i>someone</i>, somewhere, making predictions. Talking potential upsets. Lamenting (or applauding) all the <i>change, </i>as two of the (seemingly) Most-Likely-to-Take-Home-the-Big-Prize nominees—<i>for the first time, ever</i>—come from… <i>streamers</i>.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">That last, to me, is really the most interesting takeaway from the—well, let’s go with “once again, unusual”—2021 movie season, for which we have the Weirdness of the Global Pandemic to thank (or blame, YMMV). With theaters shuttered for sizable chunks of 2020-2021—and feeling, to many of us, like dicey propositions even <i>after</i> the ‘plexes resumed operations—there was little choice but to see some of, if not all, the new flicks, by streaming them from the comforts of our own sofas.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Which… is precisely what I did. Every single Best Pic Nom (as well as plenty of other, un-nominated films) watched from either my sofa or my boyfriend’s, on much-smaller-than-Big-Screen-screens. [Crazy times, eh?]</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Keeping in line with this whole everything-is-weird theme, I thought it would be fun to do a different sort of pre-Oscars round-up. Not erudite, individual reviews; you can read plenty of those elsewhere. And not a prediction of who/what’s gonna win, either. Just a few thoughts on each of the ten nominated films… <i>in the order in which I watched them</i>. [You still with me? NOT the order in which I rank them, at this point, or where I think they’ll place, but in how I watched ‘em.] </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So, here we go…</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu11daxUGpdVxWK2acmrY8g2IsDO3nu8V8IG1gslTbITZVk58lYlo30MCboKhyys7x_3t7wlja5OA7jK3Jf9T-WgMDrfteDgyF55yDuZ_xVHTSaeccbiExfGejh8tRl_3I2COs9zRqdggfYmA9qoDIBwlCjmaWwBWYWbCEaqRtQl8HIlRsLkrQ29L/s1934/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-24%20at%209.57.30%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1934" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheu11daxUGpdVxWK2acmrY8g2IsDO3nu8V8IG1gslTbITZVk58lYlo30MCboKhyys7x_3t7wlja5OA7jK3Jf9T-WgMDrfteDgyF55yDuZ_xVHTSaeccbiExfGejh8tRl_3I2COs9zRqdggfYmA9qoDIBwlCjmaWwBWYWbCEaqRtQl8HIlRsLkrQ29L/w400-h145/Screen%20Shot%202022-03-24%20at%209.57.30%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Don’t Look Up</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This Adam McKay-directed film was a disappointment of <b>epic</b> proportions. [There, I said it.] Yes, it boasted a huge array of major acting talent (Leonardo di Caprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, etc.). <i>It should have been brilliant!! </i>Yet sadly, this broad (ugh, <i>very</i> broad) satire went waaaaay over the top… straight to Tropetown. Every cheesy, easy, obvious nudge-and-wink was telegraphed a mile ahead of time, and every point (and certainly legit points were there to make!) was <i>hammered</i> in, as though by Thor, in a fit of obscene rage. Such a letdown… and, for me, SO unworthy of any Oscar noms.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Licorice Pizza</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Paul Thomas Anderson <i>may</i> be an acquired taste, but, as with cilantro and hot sauce and—okay, <i>not</i> beer—it’s one I most <i>definitely</i> have. This is one of the wackiest, most hilarious, so-crazy-because-it's-actually-based-in-reality delights I’ve watched in… well, a <i>really</i> long time. A not-exactly-leisurely-(<i>and more about that, later</i>)-but-also-not-frenetically-paced look at a specific period of time (the early 1970s), in a small area of The Valley (that being the sprawling San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles), centered around a little group of people (who were or wanted to be in "the biz”). A love letter to a bygone era, it's charming, funny, smart, surprising… <i>and</i> based on a lot of actually-true stuff. What a gem.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Belfast</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Who would expect that a film about “The Troubles” in Ireland (the shockingly-hostile fights purportedly between the Catholics and the Protestants—but in reality, more a violent debate about being part of the U.K. or becoming an independent Ireland) in the late 1960s, would be focussed like a laser on how it affected one wee family in Belfast? Kenneth Branagh, that’s who. What a lovely film… perfectly-cast (Judi Dench, 'nuff said!), beautifully-acted (and never <i>over</i>-acted), masterfully-directed, and written from the heart. (Plus, that gorgeous b/w… <swoon>) This one is most definitely something special.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Nightmare Alley</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I didn’t even realize this was a remake [I know, I know] until after I’d watched it! (If I had, it would’ve no doubt added a bit of color to my thoughts…) Still, Guillermo del Toro is, as always, <i>amazing, </i>and the visuals here are absolutely gorgeous. [Seriously, I can watch anything that man makes; his creations are simply… breathtaking.] A fantastic cast (mostly female-centric, hallelujah!) in a cautionary tale about how (a quest for) wealth and power corrupts… definitely an interesting watch.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">West Side Story</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, so I may be one of the only Gen-Xers out there (or maybe not, I dunno) who <i>hadn’t</i> [and still hasn't, after the fact] seen the original movie—or some Broadway (or lesser) production of same—before, but… there you are. I had [have] not. Still, I had a vague idea of it, and assumed that a Steven Spielberg take would surely have the angels singing in my ears (or possibly pixies, like in a Disney flick?), but… no. [Actually, <i>Oh, HELL, NO</i>, would be more accurate here.] I absolutely hated this one. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, yes, there were some technically-fantastic shots. And <i>yes</i>, Ariana DeBose. (But really, thinking that <i>one</i> actor out of such a huge cast was good is not high praise, here.) The production values were great. <i>All</i> of that. But… it left me not just cold, but <i>angry</i>… disgusted that I’d spent [wasted] more than two hours of my life on… <i>that</i>. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Dune</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, so this is a tough one; I really wanted to love this film. I’d watched [sat through] the 1984 (original) version, multiple times. I’d also watched the TV mini-series. [I have not, however, read the novel—nor do I intend to, so there’s also <i>that</i>.] I have a genuine love for sci-fi, and Frank Herbert’s novel is beloved by many, so my hopes for a Dennis Villeneuve take on it were high. And yet…</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For me, it was slightly-less-boring and ponderous than the ’84 version… but only by a smidge. I didn’t (okay, and still <i>don’t</i>) find Timothée Chalamet especially captivating. Once again there's an awful lot of very slow build-up to… well, <i>not a lot</i>, frankly. [Yes, I know a Part 2 is on the way... but the job of Part 1 <i>should</i> be to make me really wanna see the next installment.] This one may be absolutely-frakkin’-gorgeous to look at—and it <i>is</i>—but as a whole? <YAWN>.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">The Power of the Dog</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, westerns are not typically my bag… although I’ve always loved the time period. [In general. I’m way more into <i>female-centric</i> period pieces, I freely admit.] But, I do love <i>some</i> westerns, so had high hopes for a Jane Campion take on one, and the hype, oh, it was <i>huge</i>.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Benedict Cumberbatch <i>was</i> very good in an unusual role for him. (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons were also very good, but not such great stretches, in their respective roles.) The production design, the cinematography, the editing? All, beautiful. [Seriously, why do so many westerns wind up as Oscar noms? There is such gorgeous stuff to shoot, to dress, to construct..!] And, the themes within are oh-so-topical—fascinating, really, since the original novel was written in 1967.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The only real downside to this one, for me personally, is that—technique and beauty aside—I didn’t emerge <i>moved</i>. I had no great desire to immediately go out and share my thoughts with my besties. The substance is there… but not really in a life-enhancing way, for me.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">CODA</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know why I held off on this one for so long; maybe I [foolishly] assumed it would just be a different spin on the same ideas in <b>Sound of Metal</b> (which I definitely enjoyed, last year). WOW, was I wrong.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Right up front, though, let me address the elephant in the room: <i>yes</i>, it’s formulaic. [That, however, is an argument I vehemently object to, without further convincing conversation; <i>most</i> things are somewhat formulaic, if you really want to analyze at the nitty-gritty, “<i>has this ever, in the history of ever, been done before?</i>” level.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What <b>CODA</b> has going for it—<i>in spades</i>—is that it puts a very unique [and important] twist on the same ole “young person who wants to follow their dreams, despite their family” tale… giving voice to an under-represented population (the deaf) and particularly, on how a hearing person in a mostly-deaf family operates. <i>This</i> is a story I haven’t heard, seen, or even thought about, before! And, the fact that deaf actors actually played those roles? Gives the whole film an undeniable realness… a heart, soul, and genuine depth, that belie any of those “but this has story has been done before” arguments.</span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A great story about regular people (and no real villains), with no grand special effects or flashy costumes, and boasting of only one bonafide star (Marlee Matlin)? Turns out to be unexpected Movie Magic.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Drive My Car</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even if I’m watching from my own home (and can pause, take bathroom-and-snack breaks, stretch my legs, etc.), a three-hour movie—which this one is—is a tough sell for me. So, I held out until… well, I couldn’t really wait much longer. And what I felt, after sitting there for [okay, probably closer to 3.75 hours, with all those breaks] was… the same story could’ve been told more succinctly. (Oy.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The story itself <i>is</i> a poignant one: a mid-life actor—a recent-widower—comes to terms with his muddled feelings of anger, bitterness, guilt, and grief over his wife’s passing, with the surprising aid of an also-damaged young woman—one weighed down by plenty of her own baggage—platonically(!), over a period of weeks. Their pain is visceral, and it’s easy to sympathize with each character. The problem is that both are holding all of that inside, and it’s really only at the very end of the film that we have a full understanding of what the “all that” actually is. Tighter editing? Less-leisurely storytelling? I feel that a good 30-45 minutes could’ve been removed, for a more-accessible, impactful telling of their stories.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">King Richard</span></b></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m really not sure why I waited until the very last to watch this one; Will Smith is a notoriously-likable actor, and, even without being an uber-fan of tennis, only someone living under a rock wouldn't be familiar with the ridiculously-talented sisters Williams. [Regardless, <i>something</i> had to be viewed last, right?] </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The hype for this one is spot-on; the title role really is a Smith tour-de-force, bringing to fascinating life the tale of a man driven to have his children [five <i>daughters</i>, no less!] not only succeed, but to have better lives than that which he had. Told, as it is, from his POV, it’s a much-better biopic than if it had been about either (or both) of the girls, Venus and Serena, because we already know how their lives turned out. [In the public, not the private, eye, of course.] From their father’s—<i>and to a not-insubstantial degree, also their mother’s</i>—perspective, though, we get a really interesting look at things we had no idea about. </span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">You want a prediction? Well, still not gonna make one of those. (Many, <i>many</i> people with more insight have already done so.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But, if I’m giving you my druthers? I’m not-so-secretly hoping for a <b>CODA</b> win, because this is the one that had me at all the feels… and, in a weirder-than-all-get-out year of watching all the films at home, I think “Had Me at All the Feels” is as good a thing to pin my own personal hopes for a winner on, as any.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Any thoughts, comments, or the like, on the aboves? Feel free to leave ‘em below… :)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~<b><i>GlamKitty</i></b> </span></p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-44639394566270207282022-03-03T13:33:00.004-08:002022-03-04T11:37:57.725-08:00No, Dear... The Super-Rich AREN'T Just Like Us (Good Rich People REVIEW)<p><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Imagine your life is just about as hard and bad (and awful and scary) as life can get.</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You have no home, no belongings.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">No friends.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Nothing.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yet somehow, despite your complete and utter lack of <i>anything</i>, “the system” can’t seem to manage helping you get back on your feet, or to allow you to feel as though you actually belong, to… <i>anything</i>. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But then, on one otherwise ordinary (in other words, basically terrible) day, you find yourself in surroundings such as you’ve never seen, or even <i>dreamt</i> (for to dream, you first have to be able to comprehend)… the literal Lap of Luxury, where no desire—no matter how grandiose—will go unfulfilled (let alone any <i>need</i>, because down this particular rabbit hole, Alice, there is no such concept as “need”). </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What would you do… especially if it became possible for you—sans any pesky repercussions—to step into such a fantasy life and live it, for your very own?</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eliza Jane Brazier poses that compelling question in her latest thriller, <b><i>Good Rich People</i></b>.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKXNabCARTebiJKUXbqcZ2ofmouS24gl0Vc9Buf1vX4SYz_2C8j-7zL-tSvsKcBMHmoN45Wso1skanDi5OSP_a6NaDZGFyLE9KiHNKoZOT3fRPwcG2MEFAkX7iNHJ6sie34KPuGlxuBwrEv77mD3hcqqrR-88sS121uQFBrR9Key2SQ6veF6DyvznM=s682" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKXNabCARTebiJKUXbqcZ2ofmouS24gl0Vc9Buf1vX4SYz_2C8j-7zL-tSvsKcBMHmoN45Wso1skanDi5OSP_a6NaDZGFyLE9KiHNKoZOT3fRPwcG2MEFAkX7iNHJ6sie34KPuGlxuBwrEv77mD3hcqqrR-88sS121uQFBrR9Key2SQ6veF6DyvznM=w263-h400" width="263" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">From the outside, Lyla and Graham are the epitome of the golden couple, enjoying the ideal life. With an almost-impossibly cantilevered modern home clinging oh-so-precariously to the rocky hillside in the Hollywood Hills [which is saying something, in an area where anyone who’s anyone has a house that could be thus described], posh luxury cars, fabulous designer wardrobes and jewels, and enough money to afford all the pampering [plus any elective surgical treatments to tweak little things which Mother Nature may not have gotten <i>quite</i> perfect] their hearts could possibly desire, they are the Beautiful Power Couple to which everyone else in their set aspires. </span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The fact that golden couple Graham and Lyla aren’t remotely “nice” or “good” people [understatement of the year, that] matters not; no one else in their circle is particularly pleasant, either. As for their happiness, you might ask? Well, what is “happy”, really…?</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile—a mere mile or so away—another youngish woman lives a very different existence. Never having much, things have gotten progressively worse for her, to the point that she now finds herself experiencing homelessness, for the first time. Her current abode? A little shelter she’s erected in a tiny nook under a support in an underpass off the 101 Freeway.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Until one night, when fate intervenes. A chance meeting between this woman and a staggering-drunk (and <i>very</i> wealthy) stranger—who has lost her phone, effectively putting the kibosh on an Uber ride—results in the unhoused woman taking pity on the other, and walking her home… all the way from the grubby underpass, up the straight-out-of-a-storybook hairpin streets into the odd mixture of old-and-new glamor and trying-too-hard-to-act-rich-to-pull-it-off deshabille, in the nearby Hollywood Hills.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When morning comes, though, the fairy tale fractures… because the Good Samaritan—who’d fallen asleep after drinking a couple of glasses of wine she’d been offered as thanks for seeing the inebriated partier safely home—wakes up to find the other woman has OD’d overnight.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And who doesn’t know how <i>that’s</i> gonna look to the cops?</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But The Fates aren’t done with her yet, for just when she’s bolting out the door, she runs right into… Lyla, the beautiful, wealthier-than-the-gods envy of the neighborhood… who just so happens to be renting out the lower-level guesthouse of her home to Demi. (That would be the oh-so-recently-deceased Demi.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The kicker? Lyla has never actually <i>met</i> (nor even laid eyes on) her new tenant; the rental arrangements were all taken care of online. And, surprisingly, Lyla seems <i>thrilled</i> to finally be meeting the new renter (even if said occupant does seem oddly disheveled and as skittish as a baby bunny). </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And just like that, the (soon-to-be-previously)-unhoused woman sees a crazypants way out of her present predicament: to <i>be</i> Demi.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, there’s another kicker [you knew there would be, right?]: Lyla and Graham aren’t <i>anything</i> like your average landlords. They have a vicious little game—one to which only they know the rules (and the very existence of, in fact)—up their designer sleeves, which they play with their unsuspecting tenants. It’s one the bored, cruel couple have played numerous times before… and it’s one which they never lose.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then again, they’ve never played their twisted game against someone like “Demi”—a phoenix rising from the ashes of poverty and desperation, as it were—before.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">They might just have finally met their match.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are a couple of ways to read <b><i>Good Rich People</i></b>. The first—which is how most people probably will—is to view it as a devilishly-crafted thriller… made palatable by its very “unlikeliness”, if you will, as it calls for a suspension of disbelief. (It <i>is</i> a very, very good thriller, <i>and</i> a pretty fantastical tale, so that’s cool.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The second way involves a somewhat more nuanced read—the sort made possible only by firsthand experience with the subject matter— wherein the story isn’t great merely because of its design, but because so much of it rings undeniably true… which is how I read this one. Having plenty of very good friends who live/have lived in those hills [so, yes, there are decent folks living there, too]… but even more acquaintances, who fall much nearer the Lyla-&-Graham end of the power-and-privilege spectrum (albeit not quite <i>that</i> gorgeous or loaded) of being “really-not-very-nice-at-all”, I had no trouble buying these characters, at all, because I’ve <i>met</i> them.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Good Rich People</i></b> is a great read… heading, at times, where you think it might, before veering sharply off down a path you didn't even see coming [and don’t worry, I’m giving you no more spoilers than perusing the back of the book jacket would], as it leads you on a—by turns—shocking, funny, appalling, and bizarre trip from the lowest levels of existence in L.A. to some of the loftiest echelons… and all within the teeny-tiny space of just a couple of square miles.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you’re craving a diabolically-twisted tale that hooks its elaborately-manicured claws into you (and refuses, point-blank, to let go, because where’s the fun in that?!), then <b><i>Good Rich People</i></b> demands its rightful place at the top of your list. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"> </p>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-41443333366559644642022-02-27T18:55:00.004-08:002022-03-03T16:04:58.886-08:00The Sandhamn Murders... Buried in Secret (REVIEW)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">In this era of “whatever-book-is-popular-will-be-streaming-next-week” (okay, probably next </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">year</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">, but close enough), we’ve come to expect differences between what’s on the page and that moment when the filmed version almost inevitably hies off on its own. (</span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>Game of Thrones</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">. </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>The Walking Dead</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">. </span><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>True Blood</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">. All started off using the origin stories as roadmaps, but eventually opted to take divergent forks along their respective byways.)</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Such variances matter little if you only read the print version, or watch just the televised one, but, when you read the book(s) first, you have certain expectations about what characters look or sound like, how they act, and where the story goes. The same holds true when you see the filmed version first, then follow up with the book; you think you know what to expect, but often, what you find isn’t really the same.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaKzFop_Hmoa-yjChvaIrHijQ99-5BXzg-oI1yRLRMYaegLf3yPFIL82QYkDA2IcYHsTbfwNK1YfLnIalFQVF5FaR7_yO71TSUjV5uempSKlO3wgGB4EgyzFQ_OAQDke5MB04Uw_X64B87CfjvrIx9Q88JzoLsohj3QteCTc-1rflIPSzucd6inLnv=s686" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiaKzFop_Hmoa-yjChvaIrHijQ99-5BXzg-oI1yRLRMYaegLf3yPFIL82QYkDA2IcYHsTbfwNK1YfLnIalFQVF5FaR7_yO71TSUjV5uempSKlO3wgGB4EgyzFQ_OAQDke5MB04Uw_X64B87CfjvrIx9Q88JzoLsohj3QteCTc-1rflIPSzucd6inLnv=w268-h400" width="268" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">My experience with Swedish author Viveca Sten started out the latter way: I found—then happily plowed through a few seasons of—the TV series based on her books, <b><i>The Sandhamn Murders</i></b>, prior to ever sitting down to read her… and then, when I finally did, it was her latest, <b><i>Buried in Secret</i></b> (which is actually the tenth book in the series).</span><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, two things. I have a lot of viewing to draw from, in what I expect/think I know about Stockholm-based financial lawyer, Nora Linde, and her family and friends on the island of Sandhamn, where she has a summer house… but I realize that a lot of things have been happening differently on all those pages I’ve missed, coming into the printed side of things so late. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">__________</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">After the remains of a woman’s body are uncovered during an excavation project on a tiny, uninhabited island in Sandhamn’s archipelago, police detective Thomas Andreasson and his team set to sifting through the region’s missing persons reports from the last dozen or so years.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Soon, they narrow down their list seemingly fitting the approximate age and state of decomposition of the skeleton to only two: a troubled young woman, reported missing by her workmates, and another in her 30’s, whose disappearance was reported by her husband.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When Nora—who’s on a short leave from work—hears about the body from her good friend, Thomas, she decides to do a little digging on her own. There's a reason, at least: one of the possibilities—the younger woman—used to babysit for Nora’s children, years ago, so Nora feels a connection. [Thomas and team, coincidentally, focus a bit more on the other possible victim.]</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There’s also another reason behind Nora’s secret interest, though; it seems the tragic “something” [from the book right before this one, I’m guessing] she’s trying to move past—and which she’s currently on leave for—affected her so deeply that she’s now suffering from depression, having daily nightmares, and finding herself turning to sleeping pills and massive amounts of wine in an attempt to cope with feelings of guilt and sadness. The new case serves as a distraction… and any help she can offer might also provide her a chance to find some sort of redemption.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The <i>problem</i> with her plan is obvious. Someone experiencing the sort of anguish and confusion which Nora is, is hardly the best person to go hieing off on her own on a completely unsanctioned investigation [remember the even-<i>more</i>-obvious fact that she’s a <i>financial lawyer</i>, not a cop or a detective]… particularly since doing so has a reasonable chance, if successful, of ending up with her facing off with a murderer… a killer who would have zero desire to help Nora (or the police) capture them.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">__________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Is the plot a little formulaic? Well, sure… although it's not really fair to knock most police procedurals/detective stories for that, since the majority of such stories—<i>kinda like life, if we’re being honest</i>—have been done at one time (or a hundred), before. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A better question is, “<i>Are the characters engaging, the situations interesting, and does the ending hold up?</i>”, and I’d have to say yes, to all of the above. And, even though I really wished Nora would pull herself together a bit more [the poor woman is a full-blown alcoholic—depressed, paranoid, and majorly unhappy in <b><i>Buried in Secret</i></b>—which I’m betting majorly cheeses off a sizable segment of long-time readers of the series], the fact is, <i>that’s how some people try to deal with stuff, </i>and as uncomfortable as it is to watch her painful journey here, it’s a realistic one. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Granted, it isn’t ideal, coming into a book series at the tenth one, without the benefit of everything that came before, but at least I had the advantage of watching the show, first, so I had plenty of general knowledge of the main players.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ah, and finally, about that. There are definitely some notable differences between the two. Nora is still with her second husband, in the books (whereas they’ve divorced, in the show), and—at least in <i>this</i> book—her first husband is nowhere to be seen. (He’s a constant—and often comedic—thorn in her side, in the TV series, so I missed him, a bit.) As for Thomas, well… he’s still around, working on cases in the islands. (In the latest season of the show, he’s moved away for a fresh start with his wife and daughter, and Nora [conveniently] makes a new detective friend, a handsome Norwegian transplant to the force.)</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While starting at the beginning of a series—whether book or TV show—is always a better way to go, I had no trouble following any of <b><i>Buried in Secret, </i></b>and enjoyed the story and the character’s struggles. It’s a solid story, and well worth a read, whether you're coming in fresh, are already a fan, or--like me--are coming from the TV show.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~GlamKitty</span></p><div><br /></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2462125405045812864.post-77718486296634431302022-01-23T21:38:00.005-08:002022-01-27T16:25:16.617-08:00Tight Police Drama Makes for a Quick Little Binge (THE TOWER Review)<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy-fCYIGhVKIYXIAiMAXC8wo0kn-Hvz8Rbg7OQh9MVI778xYt4dUNFPSvx-4t6yAuQ2wuDH9dBJNEgqileKanVUma_Vh_ETQ9cYFVRYn3Q5quq8LJNagyYNXVke2G3q9Z0kq3h4tujKY5ewmyTq0ijO2tmt29sPYP5lOgmHi-oy-qTWV3-aESspczZ=s868" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy-fCYIGhVKIYXIAiMAXC8wo0kn-Hvz8Rbg7OQh9MVI778xYt4dUNFPSvx-4t6yAuQ2wuDH9dBJNEgqileKanVUma_Vh_ETQ9cYFVRYn3Q5quq8LJNagyYNXVke2G3q9Z0kq3h4tujKY5ewmyTq0ijO2tmt29sPYP5lOgmHi-oy-qTWV3-aESspczZ=w290-h400" width="290" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the mood for a smart detective yarn that requires neither an epic binge session nor an immense cast of characters of which to keep track? BritBox’s <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>The Tower</i></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> [I watched via Amazon, which counts the streamer among their slate of add-on subscription options] makes for a fine choice.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: x-large;">_______________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When a pair of detectives from the Met’s Special Investigations Division—DS Sarah Collins and her partner, DC Steve Bradshaw—are called to take charge at the scene of a tragic accident, they know it means one thing: a police officer was involved in the incident.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Only after they’ve arrived on the scene do they fully comprehend the nature of the tragedy, which has left two crumpled bodies—that of middle-aged beat cop, PC Hadley Matthews, and a teenage girl, Farrah Mehenni—lying facedown, in spreading pools of their own blood, at the base of a multi-story building. Meanwhile, a rookie cop, PC Lizzie Adama, is still on the roof, in shock, holding the hand of a scared five-year-old boy.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the ensuing hubbub—with paramedics scrambling, local cops attempting to maintain a semblance of order, reporters clamoring at the hastily-erected cordon, and area lookie-loos trying to catch a glimpse of the horrors—Collins and Bradshaw are able to ascertain only the barest bones of the story: that the dead girl, Farrah, had—for unknown reasons—abducted her little neighbor, then taken him to the top of the nearby tower building… where they were subsequently found by PC Matthews, and, a bit later, by his partner, PC Adama. As for how the cop and the teenager plunged to their deaths, though, Adama is too traumatized to tell Collins and Bradshaw anything more.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Protocol nonetheless calls for Adama to give her initial statement to the detectives in charge before leaving the scene… but when she begs her superior, DI Shaw, to let her go home, instead, he agrees… and neglects to clue Collins in.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Quietly furious when she learns that Shaw let the prime witness leave without being interviewed, Collins is positively incensed when Bradshaw goes to collect the young PC… only to discover that Adama has, in the meantime, done a runner.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Minus Adama and whatever light she—as the only actual witness [particularly since the little boy’s mother refuses to let the police talk to him]— can shed on things, Collins and her team are forced to focus on the preceding events that culminated in the deadly rooftop showdown. Conflict between little Ben’s mother and their neighbors, Farrah Mehenni and her father, led to confrontations between the beat cops and the Mehennis… and it seems that racial discrimination may have been a factor. But, as for how Matthews got to the Tower, once a call came in that two kids—one of whom had only just been reported missing—were spotted on the building’s roof, and what transpired both before and after his partner, Adama, arrived, remain murky.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The only thing that Collins knows is that <i>none </i>of the reports from the days leading up to the tragedy are in agreement; either <i>someone</i> is lying… or perhaps <i>everyone</i> is.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">_______________</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Tower</i></b> is a taut, neatly-told tale—an easy one-night viewing, as its three parts clock in around 2 hours 15 minutes, total. [The fact that it’s divided into three parts is handy if you’re treating it like a movie, since convenient bathroom-and-snack breaks are basically built right in!]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m a big fan of shifting timelines, already, but I think it’s particularly effective here—and something that even those folks who <i>don’t</i> share my love of jumping around time-wise will probably appreciate, as it allows the viewer to gradually get a better handle on the background issues and key relationships (especially the one between Matthews and his protege, Adama). </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gemma Whelan (best known in the States for her work as Yara Greyjoy in <b><i>Game of Thrones</i></b>) gives a great performance as Collins, fighting against police dislike (in her job which is basically that of an internal affairs detective), distrust (the Muslim Mehennis have no reason to believe or put much faith in the authorities), and even problems with her own boss (who just wants her to wrap up the case quickly and move on to something else). She’s smart, determined, and professional… and always entirely believable.</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Emmet J. Scanlan—as Matthews’ and Adama’s boss, Kieran Shaw—also does a fine job as a cop you can never quite decide is mostly a good guy, making some questionable calls… or a charming louse, who does good primarily by accident. It’s tough to play a character like this without leaning too far one way or the other… but Scanlan walks that tightrope really well. </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While I’ll leave <i>getting</i> to the resolution up to you, I will say this: <b><i>The Tower</i></b> doesn’t give in to any cheap tricks or easy tropes; there are shades of grey—and multiple truths—throughout, which makes for a satisfying watch… and an equally-satisfying ending. I’m highly recommending this one.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">~<i>GlamKitty</i></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">[While—as of January 2022—there’s no word yet on a follow-up “season” of <b><i>The Tower</i></b>, there are two more books in the Kate London-penned book series on which it was based, so… fingers crossed we get to see more of DS Sarah Collins in future. :)]</p><div><br /></div></div>GlamKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13496553345220808400noreply@blogger.com1