Tuesday, August 24, 2021
Squid Game
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Bullet Train
Nanao, nicknamed Lady Bird—the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world”—boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with one simple task: grab a suitcase and get off at the next stop. Unbeknownst to him, the deadly duo Tangerine and Lemon are also after the very same suitcase—and they are not the only dangerous passengers onboard. Satoshi, “the Prince,” with the looks of an innocent schoolboy and the mind of a viciously cunning psychopath, is also in the mix and has history with some of the others. Risk fuels him as does a good philosophical debate . . . like, is killing really wrong? Chasing the Prince is another assassin with a score to settle for the time the Prince casually pushed a young boy off of a roof, leaving him comatose.
When the five assassins discover they are all on the same train, they realize their missions are not as unrelated as they first appear.
A massive bestseller in Japan, Bullet Train is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with an incredible energy and surprising humor as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwind. Award-winning author Kotaro Isaka takes readers on a tension packed journey as the bullet train hurtles toward its final destination. Who will make it off the train alive—and what awaits them at the last stop?
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Hue And Cry
In six months, Marion “Mally” Lee will wed the dashing Roger Mooring and become mistress of Curston, his family estate. Determined to enjoy her freedom before she becomes a married woman, Mally impulsively accepts a position as governess to the young daughter of a shipping magnate.
But when she arrives at the Peterson townhouse in London, Mally has the strangest urge to flee. Sir George Peterson, whose wife left him for an itinerant artist, is an enigma. His sister, Lena Craddock, is nice enough, but Mally’s young charge, Barbara, hates Lena’s nephew, Paul, with a passion. When Mally is suddenly branded a thief and spy after valuable papers and a priceless diamond pendant disappear, she does the only thing she can: run away.
With her fiancé believing the worst of her and private investigators hot on her trail, Mally goes on the lam, feeling like a fugitive from justice. But she’s stumbled upon a dangerous criminal conspiracy led by men desperate to get back the missing documents before a critical encrypted message is decoded.
Monday, August 16, 2021
Dragon Awards
Monday, August 9, 2021
Hit & Run
A happily married man's life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a mysterious hit and run accident in Tel Aviv. Grief-stricken and confused, he searches for his wife's killers, who have fled to the U.S. With the help of an ex-lover, he uncovers disturbing truths about his beloved wife and the secrets she kept from him.So many dead people in this Israeli and American produced mystery espionage series. I liked it enough to rate it 3 stars but it has serious flaws. The script is implausible and acting is stiff as if the actors are reading. The mystery is engrossing though and the reason for the 3 stars.
Friday, August 6, 2021
Constance
In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anticloning militants, it’s an abomination against nature. For young Constance “Con” D’Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it’s terrifying.
After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness—stored for that inevitable transition—something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it’s eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she’s told, is dead. If that’s true, what does that make her?
The secrets of Con’s disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who’s just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder—all over again.The book is one of Amazon's First Reads choices and as expected, it is disappointing. The book is touted as science fiction and thriller but I find there's very little science fiction besides the cloning of the rich people who can afford it. The novel is nothing but a mediocre murder mystery with mediocre writing.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Blood Red Sky
When a group of terrorists hijacks an overnight transatlantic flight, a mysterious ill woman must unleash a monstrous secret to protect her young sonI watched without any idea what the movie is about. But the #1 rating on Netflix got me curious. Foreign language movies hardly get the number one position for several days on Netflix and now I understand why. It is bloody entertaining and I liked it. The story of airplane hijackers mixed with vampires is very creative IMHO. The hijackers are shown to be more horrific and inhumane than the vampire who for many years has maintained part of her humanity because she has a son to take care of. What comes next after the announcement of hijacking is naturally predictable - vampires on a plane.
Friday, July 23, 2021
Kingdom: Ashin Of The North
Kingdom: Ashin of the North reveals the origin of the resurrection plant and the mystery behind Ashin’s identity.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Wisting
Homicide detective William Wisting struggles with the two toughest cases of his career. His serial killer investigation crosses paths with his journalist daughter's news story, putting her in grave danger. When Wisting is accused of evidence tampering in a former case, his entire career is in jeopardy.
10 episodes, 40 - 45 minutes
I like a few Nordic Noir movies and TV series and enjoyed the original Wallander but all the subsequent police procedural series coming from that region seem to be clones of Wallander. This latest series is the most boring yet and all the characters look like they are "acting". I read that this series is the most expensive series co-produced by 3 European countries. They should have spent the money on a good script and competent director. Cinematography alone won't carry a lousy story with sub par actors. It tries to be noir but I see it as a noir wannabe.
The actor playing the main character Wisting is ugly as sin with no charisma whatsoever and the series is partially ruined by the idiot daughter. This [grieving] father-daughter theme is done to death already and somebody should put an end to it.
I could probably have ignored the annoying daughter but the story of an American serial killer in Norway with American FBI characters helping the police turned it into another pointless American-style woke police show. So I dropped it like a hot potato. Carrie-Ann Moss of The Matrix as one of the FBI agents is a lousy actress and she is not aging well. She's never been easy on the eyes but here she looks like a haggard grandma in need of a day in the spa. The obligatory black actor as the other FBI agent is not a good actor as well.
Not recommended. You'll be wasting money or borrows from Hoopla.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Ravens Of Eternity
A young woman is reborn anew inside Bellum Aeterna, a mecha VRMMO embroiled in galactic warfare, and must rise above the failings of her old life or be lost forever. As she ascends, a spreading darkness threatens to tear her galaxy apart.