Thendral's Take: March 2022
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Overall
All I will say is, READ the book. If you liked books like The Silent Patient, Home Before Dark, this will be right up your alley. It was so atmospheric: a snowstorm, an old chapel, weird sounds, crumbling brick walls, my oh my. I felt trapped in the book and like I wanted to get out! And the author used words so well I was hanging onto each one, flipping pages like an excited kid going all, "And then what happened??" Just when you think you're settling into the book, the author pulls the rug out from under you chapter AFTER chapter. So many chapters, so many pages, a well drawn-out suspense without giving too much away and without leaving you frustrated. My god, I wanted to give a standing ovation when I was done. Such a simple premise too but the execution was just ugh. And so smart. The use of dialogues and inner monologues, god. So clever. One of the lead characters has face-blindness and it's mentioned right in the opening, and the author managed to use that to add a layer of suspense right at the beginning. Which was cool enough. THEN she used it so well to deliver some much-needed blows throughout the rest of the book that make you go "Noooo!"
This was so deliciously good! You know how you know a book is good? When you start using adjectives you use for food. Such a good mystery and a must-read for fans of this genre.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Overall
To keep it simple, I’m just not the target audience for this book. There are some strong moments in there but overall, it’s just not my vibe. It’s nothing against the book, it’s just me and I genuinely feel apologetic about that.
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Overall
Despite RAVE reviews, this was a solid average read for me. The characterisation, the actual writing, the plot, the twists (considering it's a thriller), everything was just okay. It makes for a good escapist read, the kind where you can turn your brain off for a while. But there was nothing gripping or exciting that make me want to go "This was a good book!" And I think a considerable reason for my less than enthusiastic review for this book is because it's fairly targeted at white women. I think there was one minority character in there and it felt quite stereotypical. Again, just to clarify, I've read LOADS of books with a white main character. But it's not always they feel they're just not meant for me. And this is one of those.
I would say the only thing unique about this book is that it lies between a mystery and a chick flick. But even then I've read far better thrillers, mysteries and chick flicks. It's nothing I would be hyped to share about but if you want to check it out for your own curiosity, go ahead!
My Thoughts
I want the time I invested in this back. I don't understand how they managed to produce EIGHT 45 to hour-long episodes with practically no material. All the questions and suspense that the series puts forth (and drags out) for about the first 4 episodes remain unsolved even at the end of the series. Instead, we just get more and more suspense, confusion and unanswered questions. The adult daughter who's 30 is shockingly clueless for her age. I don't know if they were trying to show that's how sheltered she is but good lord she acted like a teenager and constantly made one bad decision after another. From the plot to the actors looking bored, I really found no reason to stay on for the entirety of the show. I think the final nail on the coffin was trying to present the setting as Georgia, USA when they had more of a coastal/ seaside aesthetic throughout. I later found out through reviews the show had been shot in New South Wales, Australia.
Overall
The first episode started out so promising but the whole thing plunged SO quickly into bad. It’s a shame really because there were some clever pieces of direction sprinkled throughout the entire series but it was just all for nought.
My Thoughts
The plot was okay - it doesn't require you to look too much into it even though it's advertised as a time travel movie. It is more of a wholesome, family-oriented movie. Despite the age-old premise of bad things happen to bad people, the strength of the cast REALLY shines through - Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo are just that good. It’s just that Ryan Reynolds seems intent on acting the same character (his self??) again and again - it works for Deadpool but ever so often I'm like, "Remember that guy from The Proposal who I had a crush on? Whatever happened to him?" This movie, Red Notice, and what I have seen from the trailers of Free Guy and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, all feel the same with just different backdrops. I would give major props to direction though because the movie literally had 3 people on screen at any given point/ scene and I feel like any lag in direction would have seriously shown how you're watching a movie with just 3 people. But nope, snappy direction with very good pacing. Oh, and Zoe Saldana was on camera for all of 5 minutes and acted the shit out of her role.
Overall
It was a fun watch but for the most part, it's a mindless watch. Overall the movie's quality is like Bright. You guys remember when Netflix produced Bright and we were all like "Whoaa!! Will Smith?? I guess this is cinema here on out, huh? Netflix vs the big theatres!" And then we actually watched Bright and we were like, "Sooooo this is the difference between a Netflix budget and a Hollywood budget then?" That.
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