Ben Is Back follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben’s wary mother Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) welcomes her beloved son’s return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm’s way. During the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family’s downfall.
AWARDS:
Lucas Hedges won the award for Best Performance by an Actor 23 and Under at the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards. I’m actually surprised this movie didn’t bring in more awards.
MY 2 CENTS:
Writing: ★★★★★ Let me start by admitting that I’ve never suffered with Addiction or known anyone who has, not really. Watching this film, I was moved. The truth in the scenes and the raw openness of the dialogue draws you in rips your heart out. Writer Peter Hedges, who also happened to direct this film, does a wonderful job of telling Lucas’ story. I think the message was powerful and devastating. He doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, deceit, and manipulation involved in an addict’s life.
Cinematography: ★★★ There was nothing special or different about the cinematography in this film. It wasn’t great… it wasn’t terrible… it just was.
Story: ★★★★ I recently watched ‘Beautiful Boy’ with Steve Carell… another movie about a son who is an addict, only this time it focuses on a father-son relationship. If I had to compare the two movies, I’d say ‘Beautiful Boy’ was more realistic. With that said, I’ve read a number of reviews for ‘Ben Is Back’ stating that the story is unrealistic, the events would never happen, and that Julia’s character would never do the things she does in the film. As a mother, I will say, there is very little I wouldn’t do to help my children.
Acting: ★★★★★ Really, there are only two performances
that need to be discussed; Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges because they carried
this film. Without them, there wouldn’t be a story.
I’ve always loved Julia Roberts, she gives
everything to every roll she takes and with this one… she is raw, exposed,
desperate, and unconditionally loving. She gave an outstanding performance and,
as a mother, left me in tears.
Lucas Hedges really impressed me with his
performance. Sure, he is the director’s son and it probably got him the roll,
but I think he held his own. I am not at all surprised that he won an award for
this performance. In this brief 24-hour glimpse into his life we are both swept
away by his playful nature with his younger siblings and blindsided by the devastating
admissions into his past. Hedges does a beautiful job portraying not only the
victim but the instigator.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“You
don’t know what you’re doing. I’m not worth it. If you really knew me, you’d be
done with me.” ~ Ben Burns
I
think the reason I love this quote so much is because it shows just how much someone
can fail to see their own self-worth. Ben is convinced he is no good, can do
nothing right, and will always fail. But when he says this, he is talking to
the one person in the world who will never be able to see him that way, his
mother.
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
View
the Official Trailers Here!
Interview
with Julia Roberts on Good Morning America
In
this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, skilled
assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his
head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member
of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is
excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every
turn.
MY 2 CENTS:
Let’s
start with this… Keanu Reeves is going to be 55 years old later this year,
September 2nd to be exact. Now, I’m not saying 55 is old, because it
isn’t. However, I’m not even close to 55 yet and there is no way I’d have the
energy it must have taken to do that role. Nor do I have the amazing abs that
Keanu has… I’d love to know his workout routine because come on, it is bikini
season after all.
I
joked with my husband, as we left the theatre. I said, I bet if you took everything
except the dialog out of the script, you’d be left with about 5 pages. There
was virtually no dialogue in this movie. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bother
me. You don’t really go to a Keanu Reeves movie to hear him talk… he is eye
candy, plain and simple. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t dive into his characters,
he does. He gave 110% to the role of John Wick and I can’t wait to see the next
one. Chapter 3 left the story open for another sequel and I’m sure fans of all
ages, like me, will be lining up to see it.
This
movie will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The action starts
the moment the lights go out and doesn’t stop until the credits start rolling.
Seriously, the fighting is insane… Its raw, with the grit of the Jason Bourne movies
and the improvisation of real life. I love how they didn’t pretend that their guns
had an endless supply of bullets; numerous times throughout the movies the
characters had to stop fighting to change out their magazines. No more bullets,
that’s ok just throw the gun at his head. Can’t find a weapon, no problem just run
to the nearest antiquities shop and start tossing around daggers and hatchets.
Probably
the best action film series I’ve seen in a while. No, there isn’t much there in
terms of story…
His
wife dies… he gets a dog… the dog gets killed… he goes on a killing spree
Yup,
that pretty much sums up all three stories.
I’m
not going to tell you who gets hurt, who dies, who disappears, or who gets
excommunicado, you’ll have to watch the movie to get all the gruesome details. Trust
me, it is worth the watch!
Don’t
wait until you can rent this one at home – See it on the big screen!
CHARACTERS
I’m
not going to talk about John Wick… If you’re going to see the film you already
love his character. I want to talk about two of the characters that I felt
really stole the screen whenever they were on.
Lance Reddick who played Charon – the man who worked the front desk at the Continental Hotel. He was fantastic!!!
Randall Duk Kim the actor who played the doctor that helped John sew up his shoulder five minutes before his status of excommunicado was in effect. When he pulled out his gun and handed it to Wick so that he could shoot him it was powerful… emotional… and a sign of the honest friend he was. I thought his role, although small, was extremely well written. That had to be one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“If
you want peace, prepare for war.” ~ Winston
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Named One of
Riffle’s Ten Best Haunted House Books of All Time
Built at the turn of the
twentieth century by one of the richest and most powerful men in the world
tucked away in the pristine Pocono Mountains, Summer Place, a retreat for the
rich and famous, seems the very essence of charm and beauty, “a scene borrowed
from a wondrous fairytale of gingerbread houses, bright forests, and glowing,
sunny meadows.”
But behind the yellow and
white trimmed exterior lurks an evil, waiting to devour the unwary…
Seven years ago, Professor
Gabriel Kennedy’s investigation into paranormal activity at Summer Place ended
in tragedy, and destroyed his career. Now, Kelly Delaphoy, the ambitious
producer of a top-rated ghost-hunting television series, is determined to make
Summer Place the centerpiece of an epic live broadcast on Halloween night. To
ensure success, she needs help from the one man who has come face-to-face with
the evil that dwells in Summer Place, a man still haunted by the ghosts of his
own failure. Disgraced and alienated from the academic community, Kennedy wants
nothing to do with the event. But Summer Place has other plans…
As
Summer Place grows stronger, Kennedy, along with the paranormal ghost hunting
team, The Supernaturals, sets out to confront…and if possible, destroy…the
evil presence dwelling there.
WRITING (★★★★):Although a bit slow and repetitive at times, I feel like David Golemon is one of the best haunted house storytellers I’ve read in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat most of the time and even when the story slowed down, at no point was I ready to give up on it. He is descriptive and captivating and makes you feel what his characters are feeling. This is not the book to read at night in a large, dark house by yourself.
STORY (★★★★):I liked how Golemon brought the modern twist of reality television into his traditional haunted house story. It did get a bit repetitive, the same haunting events happened over and over throughout the book… the doors pushing in, loud banging noises, a misty black entity, and the animals in the woods surrounding the house going a bit mad. However, I still loved this story.
When
I picked up the book, recommended by a friend, I was expecting to enter a haunted
house and be scared. I wasn’t scared, nor did I enter the house never to leave.
The story takes you to a number of locations before you’re even allowed inside
the house with ‘The Supernaturals’ a group of ghost hunters that have gathered
to not only seek out, but to kill, the entity haunting Summer Place.
CHARACTERS (★★★★★): I’m a huge fan of books where the characters have powers. That can mean vampires, shifters, or witches. It can also mean, as in this book the power to dream walk, possession, and to feel or sense the spirits and ghosts among us.
I loved
each of the characters that, by the end of the book, were known as The Supernaturals;
Professor Kennedy, John Lonetree, Jennifer Tilden, Leonard Sickles, George
Cordero, Julie Reilly, Harris Dalton, Jason Sanborn, Kelly Delaphoy, and Detective
Damian Jackson.
APPEARANCE (★★★★★): The cover is beautiful. The house looks creepy and the wispy tendrils of light floating around it are ominous. This book was given to my by a friend, but had I seen it on the shelf at the bookstore, I would have picked it up.
QUESTION: My only question is this, why has this book not been turned into a movie yet?
FAVORITE QUOTE: “Now tell me I don’t know how to throw a Halloween party.” ~ Professor Gabriel Kennedy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David L. Golemon was born and raised in Chino, California. He come from a family steeped in military history, from the Civil War through to Vietnam. He raised three children, Shaune, Brandon and Katie Anne. After spending many years in Loveland, Colorado, he now makes his home on Long Island, New York.
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review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
Also by David L. Golemon:
In the Still of the Night: The Supernaturals II
Set in the world of The Supernaturals, one of Riffle’s Ten Best Haunted House Books of All Time, In the Still of the Night, a supernatural thriller from New York Times bestselling author of The Event Group series David L. Golemon, will make your Halloween extra spooky this year.
In the summer of 1947, an unidentified object crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. There were no survivors. Now it’s happened again. But this time, two creatures have emerged from the wreckage alive . . .
230 B.C. – The first sovereign emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, has consolidated his ultimate power with battles against the last of the dissenting tribes of China. With one last province to take, he knows he will be pitted against the one man he fears–his mysterious half-brother, Li Zhang, leader of a peaceful province to the north. The new Emperor’s goal was to murder Li Zhang for the secrets he has kept from the world that would give Qin Shi Huang the power to strike beyond the borders of ancient China. The power over earth, water, fire, and air. After a fierce battle by the Great Wall of China, Li Zhang used the powers of Air Bending to escape with his many villages into the expansive and brutal Gobi Desert. There, Li Zhang and his nation will vanish from the histories of not only the First Emperor, but of China itself.
The Mountain: An Event Group Thriller
In 1863 a meeting takes place between legendary war leaders–a secret alliance that will never show up in any American history books. A clandestine arrangement has been struck for a single chance to heal a war-torn nation. The mission is to bring the greatest prize in the world back to American soil-remnants of pre-history’s greatest ship and most startling mystery. The prize may lie on a mountain top inside the fierce Ottoman Empire, yet the men who seek it are only days away from trying to kill one another.
Rumors of the seemingly magical victory that allowed the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt have resonated through the archaeological world for decades. Now evidence has been discovered that points to a new explanation of how the ancient Hebrews destroyed the unstoppable army of Pharaoh with a tribe of warriors who disappeared a generation later, after the destruction of the City of Jericho, taking with them the most valued treasures of a people without a homeland.
BLURB: Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.
STORYLINE: ROOM tells the extraordinary story of Jack, a spirited 5-year-old who is looked after by his loving and devoted mother. Like any good mother, Ma dedicates herself to keeping Jack happy and safe, nurturing him with warmth and love and doing typical things like playing games and telling stories. Their life, however, is anything but typical–they are trapped–confined to a 10-by-10-foot space that Ma has euphemistically named Room. Ma has created a whole universe for Jack within Room, and she will stop at nothing to ensure that, even in this treacherous environment, Jack is able to live a complete and fulfilling life. But as Jack’s curiosity about their situation grows, and Ma’s resilience reaches its breaking point, they enact a risky plan to escape, ultimately bringing them face-to-face with what may turn out to be the scariest thing yet: the real world. Written by A24 (IMBD)
MY 2 CENTS: WOW! Back when this movie first came out, I remember seeing the previews and thinking it looked pretty good. I just never got around to actually watching it. Then, when the academy award nominations were announced and Room was up for Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay I was even more intrigued.
I still didn’t find time to watch it.
Now, four years after the theatre premier, I’ve finally watching it… Thank you Netflix.
Actress Brie Larson won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Room. I can tell you this… it was well deserved.
As a mother, I can’t imagine losing my child to an obduction. Nor, could I imagine being abducted and raising a baby in a confined space like the one depicted in this film. This film, pulled at my heartstrings in so many ways. I hated Old Nick, played by Sean Bridgers. That’s the sign of a great performance. You’re not supposed to like his character.
With the first half of this film taking place in a single 10’x10’ space, you wouldn’t think that the cinematography would be much to talk about. However, the way the camera makes the view feel claustrophobic and the actors (Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay) make you feel hopeful forces the viewer to really take in everything that is happening. The acting and the cinematography, together, pull the whole story together.
This movie will make you think… question reality… question the world in ways that might make you uncomfortable… and even question your own beliefs.
There’s a saying, “No matter how much you think you do, you can never really know someone.” This movie made me realize how true that is. Your next-door neighbor, the postman, the person running the cash register at your local grocery store… You can’t really know them. Isn’t there a change – no matter how small – that they could be hiding an abducted woman or child in their home? You can’t know, and that is my point.
This film brings out the paranoid in all of us. It certainly brought out the paranoid mother in me. I would do anything to protect my kids… this movie shows us that sometimes, no matter what we do, we can’t protect them from the evils of the world.
Have you seen Room? If so, what did you think. If you haven’t, what is stopping you?
MY FAVORITE QUOTES: “There’s so much of ‘place’ in the world. There’s less time because the time has to be spread extra thin over all the places, like butter. So, all the persons say ‘Hurry up! Let’s get going! Pick up the pace! Finish up now!’.” ~ Jack
“When I was small, I only knew small things. But now I’m five, I know everything!” ~ Jack
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Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder
into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a
modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming
the lives of countless readers across generations.
Paulo Coelho’s
masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy
who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him
to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined.
Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our
hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along
life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.
WRITING (★★★★): Paulo Coelho is a wonderfully talented author who’s storytelling ability draws you in and keeps you reading. His writing style is intriguing and yet simple. With that said, The Alchemist is a very fast read. It took me all of maybe five or six hours to get through.
STORY (★★★★): On the surface, The Alchemist is a
simple story of a sheep farmer who sells his sheep to set out on a journey to
follow his dream… his calling… his Personal Legend as it is called in the book.
Yet, in reality, there are
deeper messages weaved throughout the story. Lessons we are all meant to learn,
but maybe in each our own way.
Paulo Coelho is a philosopher. The
over-arching theme I believe he is trying to get across is that everyone and
all things are connected. The past, the present, and the future are all intertwined.
One could read this story and take away that
you must live in the moment… be mindful of the life here in the present because
the past and future can not be changed.
Another reader may take away that the author
is telling you to stop working to live and just start living. Follow your
dreams and give 100% of yourself to the journey to reach your Personal Legend. If
you’ve ever heard Arnold Schwarzenegger talk about his life – this is similar
to the message he tries to get across; that you must be all in – with no backup
plan.
I’m sure there are a dozen other life lessons
that one could read in the passages of The Alchemist and I would argue that
each and every one is right, for the reader that interprets them.
If you’ve read The Alchemist, I’d love to
know what lesson or message you took away from it. Comment below and tell me what
you thought of the story and what your major take away was.
I highly recommend this story for teens and
young adults. They are still trying to find themselves and figure out exactly
what they want out of life. I would argue that this story is a great source of
encouragement to never give up and always strive to achieve what you are truly passionate
about.
CHARACTERS (★★★★): I enjoyed all of the characters, for what they
were. However, the lead character, the young sheep farmer named Santiago, was written
extremely well. His backstory was laid out beautifully and I felt a connection to
him and an investment in his journey.
The
character development and connection from chapter to chapter flowed
wonderfully. It was nice, for once, to read a book where the author didn’t introduce
a thousand new characters in every chapter.
APPEARANCE (★★★): The
cover is simple and yet aged. I don’t think I would have picked this book up if
I had passed it in the book store. However, because it was given to me by
someone I trust, I ignored the cover and jumped right in.
FAVORITE
QUOTES:
“What you still need to know is this: before
a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned
along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in
addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve
moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up. It’s
the point at which, as we say in the language of the desert, one ‘dies of
thirst just when the palm trees have appeared on the horizon.’”
“Every search begins with beginner’s luck. And
every search ends with the victor’s being severely tested.”
“Don’t give in to your fears, if you do, you
won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
AUTHOR:
The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO is considered one of the most influential authors of our times. His books have sold more than 165 million copies worldwide, have been released in 170 countries and been translated into 80 languages.
Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, he soon discovered his vocation for writing. He worked as a director, theater actor, songwriter and journalist. His collaboration with Brazilian composer and singer Raúl Seixas gave some of the greatest classic rock songs in Brazil. In 1986, a special meeting led him to make the pilgrimage to Saint James Compostela (in Spain). The Road to Santiago was not only a common pilgrimage but a turning point in his existence. A year later, he wrote ‘The Pilgrimage’, an autobiographical novel that is considered the beginning of his career.
In the following year, COELHO published ‘The Alchemist’. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time.
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Brida, a young Irish girl, has long been
interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her
search leads her to people of great wisdom. She meets a wise man who dwells in
a forest, who teaches her to trust in the goodness of the world, and a woman
who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world. As Brida seeks her
destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her
desire to become a witch.
This enthralling novel incorporates themes that
fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure. It is a tale of love,
passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller.
A Magical Tale
About Forgiving Our Past and Believing in Our Future
The
enchanting true story of The Valkyries begins in Rio de Janeiro when author
Paulo Coelho gives his mysterious master the only manuscript for his book The
Alchemist. Haunted by a devastating curse; Coelho confesses to have seen my
dreams fall apart just when I seemed about to achieve them. In response he
gives Coelho a daunting task: He must find and speak with his guardian angel. The
curse can be broken; he replies; if you complete the task.
Rarely does
adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young
lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and
independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome
and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings
. . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner
conflicts.
Now
they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties,
as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a
decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the
River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling
light of some of life’s biggest questions.
In the ninth
century b.c., the Phoenician princess Jezebel orders the execution of all the
prophets who refuse to worship the pagan god Baal. Commanded by an angel of God
to flee Israel, Elijah seeks safety in the land of Zarephath, where he
unexpectedly finds true love with a young widow. But this newfound rapture is
to be cut short, and Elijah sees all of his hopes and dreams irrevocably erased
as he is swept into a whirlwind of events that threatens his very existence.
Written
with the same masterful prose and clarity of vision that made The Alchemist an international
phenomenon, The Fifth Mountain
is a quietly moving account of a man touched by the hand of God who must
triumph over his frustrations in a soul-shattering trial of faith.
Warrior of the Light: A Manual is an inspirational companion to The Alchemist, an international bestseller
that has beguiled millions of readers around the world. Every short passage
invites us to live out our dreams, to embrace the uncertainty of life, and to
rise to our own unique destiny. In his inimitable style, Paulo Coelho helps
bring out the Warrior of the Light within each of us. He also shows readers how
to embark upon the way of the Warrior: the one who appreciates the miracle of
being alive, the one who accepts failure, and the one whose quest leads him to
become the person he wants to be.
Paulo
Coelho is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. Now, in the
long-awaited companion to his first novel, Coelho presents a collection of
philosophical stories that will delight and guide seekers everywhere.
Eleven Minutes is
the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent
brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced
that she will never find true love, instead believing that “love is a
terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . .” A chance meeting in Rio
takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria’s
despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young
painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between
pursuing a path of darkness – sexual pleasure for its own sake – or risking
everything to find her own “inner light” and the possibility of
sacred sex, sex in the context of love.
The
narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist
who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His
wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with
a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover.
Was
Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her
unfulfilled? The narrator doesn’t have any answers, but he has plenty of
questions of his own. Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to
reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the
narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.
In his most personal novel to date,
internationally bestselling author Paulo Coelho returns with a remarkable
journey of self-discovery. Like the main character in his much-beloved The Alchemist,
Paulo is facing a grave crisis of faith. As he seeks a path of spiritual
renewal and growth, his only real option is to begin again—to travel, to
experiment, to reconnect with people and the landscapes around him.
Setting off to Africa, and then to Europe and Asia
via the Trans-Siberian railroad, he initiates a journey to revitalize his
energy and passion. Even so, he never expects to meet Hilal. A gifted young
violinist, she is the woman Paulo loved five hundred years before—and the woman
he betrayed in an act of cowardice so far-reaching that it prevents him from
finding real happiness in this life. Together they will initiate a mystical
voyage through time and space, traveling a path that teaches love, forgiveness,
and the courage to overcome life’s inevitable challenges. Beautiful and
inspiring, Aleph invites us to consider the meaning of our own
personal journeys.
I want to
change. I need to change. I’m gradually losing touch with myself.
Adultery, the provocative new novel by Paulo Coelho,
best-selling author of The
Alchemist and Eleven Minutes, explores the question of what it means to live life fully
and happily, finding the balance between life’s routine and the desire for
something new.
STORYLINE: Arthur Curry, half human/half from Atlantis, goes on a trip of a lifetime. Not only does this adventure compel him to come to terms with his real identity, but it also forces him to discover whether he is entirely worthy of fulfilling his own destiny: becoming a king. Written by Domingo Alvarez (IMDB)
MY 2 CENTS: I like superhero films… I do. I enjoy both the DC comic world as well as the Marvel comic world. I’m not picky when it comes to my action-packed superhero adventures. I tend not to judge them to harshly. However, with computer graphics having gotten as amazing as they have these days, there is no excuse for the poor-quality computer graphics in this film.
Don’t get me wrong, my eleven-year-old son loved the film. So, maybe the target audience was lower than I had expected. I however couldn’t see past the cheesy dialogue, terrible special effects, one-dimensional characters – with no growth or development, and the predictability of it all.
No, I don’t recommend this film. If you’ve seen it, please share your thoughts below. If you enjoyed it and think I’m missing something, please tell me what that was. I really did want to like this film. I just couldn’t find any truly redeemable qualities.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES: “She jumped! She didn’t have a parachute!” ~ Cargo Pilot “Redheads! You gotta love ‘em.” ~ Arthur Curry
“I’m no leader. I came because I have no choice. I came to save my home, and the people that I love.” ~ Arthur Curry
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STORYLINE: After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe.
MY 2 CENTS: After Avengers Infinity War we were left with a huge cliffhanger and it was hard to anticipate how the story would continue… how the Avengers would go on. Avengers Endgame was no doubt one of the most anticipated films this year. I know where I live, theatres were sold out non-stop and people were standing in line to get good seats.
The crowds applauded throughout the movie and stood to clap at the end. People – myself included – cried. Yup, cried, during a super hero movie. This movie touched the hearts of its fans and moved us to tears.
There was devastation, sorrow, humor, a call to action, adventure, plot twists, and so much more.
In my opinion, this was the best Marvel Superhero movie ever and seeing as it is the end of an era, a wonderful conclusion to the Avengers story. The CG was awesome, way better than I expected it to be given how much of the movie was CG.
I don’t want to spoil the movie for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, so I will just tell you this, WATCH IT! Even if you aren’t a huge superhero fan, you should see this film. You’ll be on the edge of your seat the whole time.
You know what, never mind – It’s been out for a while – you’ve probably already seen it, so I will give some spoilers.
This film is packed with so much to talk about… maybe too much.
There are satisfying emotional moments throughout the film and a lot of references to previous movies that just make it plain fun for fans to watch.
LETS TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS Iron Man, I’ve always loved Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. He has the strong hero persona down to a tee… including the cocky I can save everyone attitude. However, what I love most about his character is his sensitive side that we never really got to fully see until Endgame. He struggles with having to choose between saving the world and staying with his family. I felt his decision made total sense, even though his final sacrifice was devastating. Not going to lie, I cried!
Black Widow, I’ve always liked the roll of Black Widow and she was amazing in Endgame. She had some pretty emotional scenes and Scarlett Johansson was fantastic.
Captain America, if you remember, had a pretty small roll in Infinity War but they brought him back with a vengeance in Endgame giving us plenty of Captain America to enjoy. It also leaves us with a very satisfying conclusion to his character arc. Probably my favorite ending to any superhero story. He has always been a man living in the wrong time period… living in the world as an outsider. However, in Endgame he has finally been given the happy ending he has always deserved.
Hawkeye, I loved the deeply emotional story arc they gave him. Jeremy Renner is a great actor and I loved how committed he was not only to the fun action scenes but also to the emotion driven scenes as well.
I’d love to know what your favorite characters were. Comment below and let me know who you liked the most and why!
MY FAVORITE QUOTES: I had a number of favorite quotes, but most of them would give away something in the plot… who died, who lived, who gave up, etc. I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn’t already seen it, so I will give you this…
“I love you three thousand.” ~Tony Stark
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The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
AMAZON DESCRIPTION: Everyone loves a beautiful missing girl…
“Look For Her ratchets up the tension while also offering moments of sheer grace.”-Riley Sager, bestselling author of Final Girls
“Beautifully written with an expertly twisty, surprising story, this is a must-read!” — Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Never Let You Go
Lilling might seem like an idyllic English village, but it’s home to a dark history. In 1976, a teenage girl named Annalise Wood disappeared, and though her body was later discovered, the culprit was never found. Decades later, Annalise maintains a perverse kind of celebrity, and is still the focus of grief, speculation, and for one young woman, a disturbing, escalating jealousy.
When DNA linked to the Annalise murder unexpectedly surfaces, cold case detective Morris Keene and his former partner, Chloe Frohmann, hope to finally bring closure to this traumatized community. But the new evidence instead undoes the case’s only certainty: the buried body that had long ago been confidently identified as Annalise may be someone else entirely, and instead of answers, the investigators face only new puzzles.
Whose body was unearthed all those years ago, and what happened to the real Annalise? Is someone interfering with the investigation? And is there a link to a present-day drowning with eerie connections? With piercing insight and shocking twists, Emily Winslow explores the dark side of sensationalized crime in this haunting psychological thriller.
MY 2 CENTS: WRITING (★★★★): I’m not going to lie, when I started this book the writing style threw me off. The first chapter starts with a therapy session transcript. It’s all dialogue, but instead of reading both sides of the conversation you only read one; Annalise Williams, the patients. It makes for a very strange, jarring read. It didn’t flow.
With that said, it does grow on you.
With each chapter, you meet new characters and hear (or rather read) the story through their perspective. When all is said and done, we get to learn about what is happening through the words of four different characters; Annalise Williams, Dr. Laurie Ambrose,Morris Keene, and Chloe Frohmann.
Once I got into the flow of Winslow’s writing style, this was a fast paced, exciting read. I loved the twist at the end, no I won’t give it away, but definitely worth the read to find out.
STORY (★★★★):Look for Her is the 4th book in the Keene and Frohmann series… which would have been nice to know when I started reading it, but I had no idea and I hadn’t read any of the Keene and Frohmann series before picking up Look For Her (Solely based on the cover) and reading it.
Honestly, the story stands on its own. I’m not sure what the first three books were about, but I think this one is easily enjoyable as a stand-alone book. That doesn’t mean I don’t intend to pick up the first three books in the series, because I most certainly do. If this one was this good, why should I expect the others to be any less entertaining?
Look For Her is a murder mystery/thriller… not horror, like the cover and title might make it sound. It takes the reader on a journey to solving a cold case when new DNA evidence is discovered. I love reading stories where the criminals think they’ve gotten away with something only to find that new evidence, years later, links them to the crime… I’m not going to say that’s what happened in this novel, but the idea of a cold case being reopened is very intriguing and Winslow delivered a great story.
CHARACTERS (★★★★): This story takes the reader on twists and turns, not only in plot but also in the character development and how Winslow weaves the characters lives together in unsuspecting ways.
Although I didn’t have the benefit of reading the first 3 books in the series, I didn’t feel like I was at a disadvantage when it came to understanding the characters. Winslow does a beautiful job of feeding the reader bits of backstory throughout the book without it sounding preachy or overdone.
I’m excited that there are more books in the Keene and Frohmann series so I can get to know the characters even more.
APPEARANCE (★★★★): The cover is beautiful, simple, and draws you in with an almost mysterious nature. You can make out woods and the reflection of a lake, but not much more. It doesn’t give away anything about the story, but does make you wonder where the “HER” in the title ‘Look For Her’ may have gone or where she may be.
AUTHOR: Emily Winslow is an American writer living in Cambridge, England. She’s the author of the novels The Whole World, The Start of Everything, and The Red House, and the memoir Jane Doe January (HarperCollins, May 2016).
FAVORITE QUOTES: “You can’t control what other people do, Morris. You can only control whether you deserve respect, not whether he gives it to you.” Chloe Frohmann to Morris Keene.
“She only became the important ‘Annalise’ in the eyes of others, once she was gone. She became a kind of symbol, a kind of idol, to strangers, and to me, but she didn’t get to experience being that herself. I don’t think anyone ever gets to experience being that, even if they’re alive and award that it’s happening in other people’s minds. That’s something you can think about others, but you can’t ever be inside of it. When you’re inside yourself, you know better.” Anna Williams during her last therapy session.
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Bonus Features at the end of the book:
About the Author
Meet Emily Winslow
Neighbours in Crime: A Conversation with Sophie Hannah
About the Book
Questions for Discussion
Read on…
Have You Read? (More from Emily Winslow)
OTHER BOOKS BY EMILY WINSLOW:
The Red House: A Keene and Frohmann Mystery Maxwell’s fiancée, Imogen, is obsessed with her idyllic childhood in Cambridge, England, which was cut short by her parents’ deaths at a young age, causing her and her siblings to be adopted by different families. With plans to move back there, the young couple travel to the city together, where Imogen’s excitement is offset by Max’s deeply unsettling déjà vu: despite having no history there, something about Cambridge is all too familiar. As the wedding planning begins and Imogen’s preoccupation with her lost younger brother intensifies, Maxwell is forced to consider that he may actually be Imogen’s missing brother. Worse, he fears that she may already know that he is, and be marrying him anyway.
Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Morris Keene languishes at home, struggling with a debilitating injury and post-traumatic stress, and his former partner, Detective Inspector Chloe Frohmann, investigates a suicide case in which Morris’ daughter is suspected of having a hand. When buried skeletons are discovered next to an old barn, the suicide is linked back to Imogen’s childhood, revealing horrors of the past and triggering new dangers in the present.
The third book by talented author Emily Winslow and featuring Cambridgeshire detectives Morris Keene and Chloe Frohmann, The Red House is a suspenseful and skillfully written mystery, twisting and unraveling in deft and unusual ways as the simultaneous investigations raise the question: for how long can you call your findings pure coincidence?
The Whole World: A Keene and Frohmann Mystery Set in the richly evoked pathways and environs of Cambridge, England, The Whole World unearths the desperate secrets kept by its many complex characters—students, professors, detectives, husbands, and mothers—that lead to deadly consequences. Two Americans studying at Cambridge University, Polly and Liv, who are both strangers to their new home and both running away from painful memories, become quick friends. They find a common interest in Nick, a handsome, charming, seemingly guileless graduate student. For a time, the three engage in harmless flirtation, growing closer while doing research for Professor Gretchen Paul, the blind and devoted daughter of a semi-famous novelist. But a betrayal, followed by Nick’s inexplicable disappearance, brings long-buried histories to the surface.
The investigation, helmed by Detective Chief Inspector Morris Keene and his partner, Detective Sergeant Chloe Frohmann, raises countless questions—from the crime that scars Polly’s past to the searing truths concealed in family photographs which Gretchen cannot see. Soon the three young lovers will discover how little they know about one another, and how devastating the ripples of long-ago actions can be.
At once a sensual and irresistible mystery and a haunting work of penetrating insight and emotional depth, The Whole World marks the beginning of Emily Winslow’s series of psychological suspense.
The Start of Everything: A Keene and Frohmann Mystery Outside the city of Cambridge, England, the badly decomposed body of a young woman has washed up in the flooded fens. Detective Inspector Chloe Frohmann and her partner, Detective Chief Inspector Morris Keene, must identify the victim and uncover what malice hid her there.
Across the hallowed paths and storied squares of Cambridge University, the detectives follow scant clues toward the identity of the dead girl. Eventually, their search leads them to Deeping House, an imposing country manor where, over the course of one Christmas holiday, three families, two nannies, and one young writer were snowed in together. Chloe begins to unravel a tangled web of passions and secrets, of long-buried crimes and freshly committed horrors. But in order to reveal the truth—about mysterious letters, devastating liaisons, and murder—she may have to betray her partner.
In this stunning psychological thriller, Emily Winslow has crafted a literary prism. With uncommon perceptiveness, she tells her story through the eyes of many intricately drawn characters: a troubled young woman in the University’s dead-letter office, an astronomy professor full of regret, an anxious man willing to kill to keep his past hidden. As their beautifully rendered stories coalesce, a piercing and haunting truth emerges. Masterful and memorizing, The Start of Everything will captivate to the very last page.
Jane Doe January On the morning of September 12, 2013, a fugitive task force arrested Arthur Fryar at his apartment in Brooklyn. His DNA, entered in the FBI’s criminal database after a drug conviction, had been matched to evidence from a rape in Pennsylvania years earlier. Over the next year, Fryar and his lawyer fought his extradition and prosecution for the rape—and another like it—which occurred in 1992. The victims—one from January of that year, the other from November—were kept anonymous in the media. This is the story of Jane Doe January.
Emily Winslow was a young drama student at Carnegie Mellon University’s elite conservatory in Pittsburgh when a man brutally attacked and raped her in January 1992. While the police’s search for her rapist proved futile, Emily reclaimed her life. Over the course of the next two decades, she fell in love, married, had two children, and began writing mystery novels set in her new hometown of Cambridge, England. Then, in fall 2013, she received shocking news—the police had found her rapist.
This is her intimate memoir—the story of a woman’s traumatic past catching up with her, in a country far from home, surrounded by people who have no idea what she’s endured. Caught between past and present, and between two very different cultures, the inquisitive and restless crime novelist searches for clarity. Beginning her own investigation, she delves into Fryar’s family and past, reconnects with the detectives of her case, and works with prosecutors in the months leading to trial.
As she recounts her long-term quest for closure, Winslow offers a heartbreakingly honest look at a vicious crime—and offers invaluable insights into the mind and heart of a victim.
BLURB: Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships – both old and new – begin to resemble 21st century version of her novels.
STORYLINE: The Jane Austen Book Club explores Austen’s adage that general incivility is at love’s essence. Sylvia’s husband dumps her for another woman, so Bernadette and Jocelyn organize a book club to distract her. They recruit Sylvia’s daughter Allegra; Prudie, a young teacher whose marriage may be on the rocks; and Grigg, a sci-fi fan who joins solely out of his attraction to Jocelyn. The six book club members read and discuss one Austen novel per month. While Jocelyn attempts to peak Grigg’s interest in Sylvia, she fails to see her own interest in him rising. Allegra falls in love with a woman she meets skydiving. Then, after unexpected heartache she is able to mend her heart through a new relationship. Prudie contemplates an affair with one of her students and may take things a little to far. Sylvia’s ex-husband keeps popping back into her life and eventually tells her he still loves her. By the end of the movie, the truth about each of our characters is revealed.
MY 2 CENTS: I’m not going to lie, this is a chick-flick. I love a good romantic comedy chick-flick every now and then, but they are not my typical go-to movie. With that said, as an author and an avid reader, I LOVED THIS FILM!
The cast is amazing… In fact, I really can’t image a better cast. With Emily Blunt, Maria Bello, Amy Brenneman, and Kathy Baker taking the lead, this movie was destined to be a success. And a story line that manages to infuse the characters’ lives with pieces of Jane Austen’s fictional world is just plain fun.
Like most chick-flicks, this film isn’t about wowing the viewers with amazing cinematography and extraordinary special effects. This film relies solely on the dialogue and the actors’ abilities to communicate their emotions to the audience. The character development within each relationship as well as individually gives the viewer so much to watch, explore, and relate to. Of course, not everyone will be able to relate to every character… but that is the beauty, there is a character for everyone.
I believe that if Austin were alive today, she would be proud of the way this film utilized her themes and wove them into the lives of the characters beautifully.
Watching the film, you get a sense that Karen Joy Fowler, author of the book ‘The Jane Austin Book Club, truly has a passion for and understands Austin’s books. Although I have not yet read ‘The Jane Austin Book Club’ I do intent to add it to my ‘To Read’ list. I think that anyone who admires Austin’s books will enjoy this film.
If you have watched this movie (or read the book) please comment below and let me know what you thought of it. If you haven’t seen the movie, but are intrigued enough to watch it, then I challenge you to watching and then come back and let me know what you thought.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES: “Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter.” ~ Bernadette
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AMAZON DESCRIPTION: From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman.
The fireman is coming. Stay cool.
No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by one: Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it’s Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies—before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.
Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she’s discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a pact: they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob’s dismay, Harper wants to live—at least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child.
Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads—armed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn’t as alone as she fears: a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged. In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman’s secrets before her life—and that of her unborn child—goes up in smoke.
WRITING (★★★): This is the second book I’ve read from author Joe Hill, the first being 20th Century Ghosts. It is really well-written, aside from the fact that it is 749 pages and could have been trimmed down significantly without loosing any of the story. His long-winded writing style came as no surprise when I realized he is Stephen King’s son. However, when I read a Stephen King novel, I am drawn in completely. That didn’t happen with this story.
There were many times where the writing gave away too much to the reader. Foreshadowing the twists and turns in a way that made them predictable and anticlimactic when they did happen.
STORY (★★★★): The story starts out strong, with a powerful moment for one of our lead characters, Harper Grayson. However, shortly after it starts to slow to a snail’s pace. I found myself putting the book down rather than being compelled to read it.
The Fireman, at its heart, is based on a really cool premise – a spontaneous combustion plague that is wiping out humanity. We not only see how the plague destroys humanity but also how society changes, turns on itself, and ultimately destroys itself.
Hill creates some really great images through his writing, the bird of fire, the glow of the camp members as they sing, the woman of fire, and so many others. The problem I had, was that they were to few and far between.
When all is said and done, I still recommend reading this book. If you are at all a fan of Joe Hill, or his father, Stephen King, you should pick up a copy and read it. The premise is awesome… just be prepared to have to push through some of the slower parts in order to get to the really good parts.
PS… there is a hidden ending to this story. If you read the credits included at the end of the book, you’ll get a little surprise from the author.
CHARACTERS (★★★): The dialogue between the characters often felt forced and redundant. It seemed that character personalities changed depending on which characters were in the scene. My biggest issue with this was with Harper Grayson. Harper is a kind, loving nurse who just wants to help people. Then, when she is talking with The Fireman, after getting to the camp, the way she talks gets hard and brass. It didn’t feel natural.
I did feel however, that Hill was able to give solid character development to the main characters throughout the story. Although I couldn’t relate to many of them, I do feel like I was able to understand what motivated their actions.
APPEARANCE (★★★): I love this cover… There is just something about a cover printed with only 2-3 colors that draws my eye. The movement in the fire, throughout the lettering, is beautiful in a destructive way. It looks great and intrigues the reader, tempting you to find out what’s inside.
FAVORITE QUOTES: “There’s something horribly unfair about dying in the middle of a good story, before you have a chance to see how it all comes out. Of course, I suppose everyone ALWAYS dies in the middle of a good story, in a sense. Your own story. Or the story of your grandchildren. Death is a raw deal for narrative junkies.”
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OTHER BOOKS BY AUTHOR JOE HILL
NOS4A2 – The spine-tingling, bone-chilling novel of supernatural suspense from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman and Horns—now an AMC original series starring Zachary Quinto, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ashleigh Cummings.
“A masterwork of horror.”— Time
Full Throttle – In this masterful collection of short fiction, Joe Hill dissects timeless human struggles in thirteen relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including “In The Tall Grass,” one of two stories co-written with Stephen King, basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix.
Heart-Shaped Box – Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman’s noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can’t help but reach for his wallet… GET IT HERE!
Wolverton Station – Saunders made his fortune as a hatchet man for hire and has come to England to do what he does best: chop down the little guys to clear the way for a global firm. But his train north just made an unexpected stop to let on some passengers straight out of the worst kind of fairy tale. Now he’s up to his ankles in blood and finding out just what it really means to live in a dog-eat-dog world… GET IT HERE!
Wraith – The graphic novel prequel to the bestselling novel and upcoming AMC series NOS4A2!
Discover the terrifying funhouse world of Christmasland and the ageless monster who rules it. Climb into the passenger seat as Hill and artist Charlie Wilson III explore Charlie Manx’s twisted beginnings, introduce a new and depraved cast of characters to Christmasland, and take us for a 100 MPH ride down an icy nightmare road in a car with no brakes… GET IT HERE!
Horns – A twisted, terrifying new novel of psychological and supernatural suspense, Horns is a devilishly original triumph for the Ray Bradbury Fellowship recipient whose story collection, 20th Century Ghosts, was also honored with a Bram Stoker Award—and whose emotionally powerful and macabre work has been praised by the New York Times as, “wild, mesmerizing, perversely witty…a Valentine from hell.” GET IT HERE!
Strange Weather – A collection of four chilling novels, ingeniously wrought gems of terror from the brilliantly imaginative, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman, Joe Hill.
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