Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.
Anna has similarity to Luc Besson's earlier movie La Femme Nikita but has a different story line. Anna was recruited by the KGB as an assassin and at the same time she works as a runway and print fashion model. The spy thriller kept me guessing where it's going. It gets twistier than a pretzel as it progresses and the ending is so satisfying. The assassination scene at the restaurant is bloody entertaining. Helen Mirren and Luke Evans are okay playing Russian characters; Cillian Murphy is also good as American CIA agent.
Streaming on Amazon. I watched the DVD; don't miss the extras.
Highly recommended
When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store's shutter. This seemingly simple request for advice sets the trio on a journey of discovery as, over the course of a single night, they step into the role of the kindhearted former shopkeeper who devoted his waning years to offering thoughtful counsel to his correspondents. Through the lens of time, they share insight with those seeking guidance, and by morning, none of their lives will ever be the same.
The novel has a different tone from Higashino's usual mystery crime novels but is as engaging and hard to put down once you start reading. The story is sweet, heartfelt, and unforgettable. It's 1980 and the owner of Namiya General Store, Yūji Namiya, gives answers to people asking for advice. It began when Mr. Namiya gave verbal guidance to grade school students. He starts giving the answers on notes posted outside the front of the store when he becomes popular with residents and soon adults also start writing for advice. When the store is closed, they would drop their letters through the front door slot and they pick up the handwritten replies from Mr. Namiya from a milk box hung outside on the side of the store. In 2012, three youths who just committed petty thievery hide in the now closed and abandoned Namiya General Store. During the night, a letter seeking advice is dropped from the slot although nobody is outside. The boys become aware that it was written in 1980. When one of the boys decides to reply, the mysteries and secrets of the old General Store become apparent as their letters cut across time and space. The lives of various unrelated characters intertwine through the "miracles" occurring in the store.
I rarely read books that are more than 500 pages with the exception of these 900+page books. I highly recommend them.
Middlemarch - George Eliot
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Ana Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
I'm still contemplating if I should start reading these 1000+page tomes. I have started and abandoned several times Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. I'll read them when I'm in the right mood.
War And Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
Clarissa, or The History of A Young Lady - Samuel Richardson
tags: anime, country, electonica, pop, music video, Netflix
from Netflix official site
In this anime visual album, a mysterious driver heads deep into a postapocalyptic hellscape toward a ferocious showdown with two monstrous opponents.
Although I've been listening to country music the past 3 years, I've never heard of Sturgill Simpson until this animation appeared on my Netflix streaming suggestion list in September of this year. Instant like because of the music genre bending and I love his Waylon Jennings voice, anime, electtronica, and bloody revenge stories. I've been watching and sometimes just listening and the video will probably stay on my Netflix list for forever. I turn the subtitles on to read the lyrics while playing.
Track list
1. Ronin
2. Remember to Breathe
3. Sing Along
4. A Good Look
5. Make Art Not Friends
6. Best Clockmaker on Mars
7. All Said and Done
8. Last Man Standing
9. Mercury in Retrograde
10. Fastest Horse in Town
My favorites are 5 and 9. Great tune and lyrics.
Mercury in Retrograde
I got a haircut in Norway When all the weight started pulling me down Smelling like a waterlogged wet dog Ain't no way to travel But as soon as I chopped it all off It just grew back, thick and brown I keep tugging on the thread Hoping it all might come unraveled I keep trying to throw it all away But it comes right back around They come backstage and on my bus Pretending to be my friend Shaking hands behind grandstands All wearing the same old grin Oh, but none of them bother knocking Oh, they all just come on in Asking me what all my songs mean Wonderin' if they're all about them Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention Living the dream makes a man wanna scream Light a match and burn it all down Head back home to the mountain Far away from the pull Of all the journalists and sycophants wielding their brands And all the traveling trophies and award show stands And all the haters wishing they was in my band Sorry boys, the bus is plumb full Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention And there's nothing for me outside this hotel room But another letdown, lonely day Tour is almost over, and I'll be home soon And it's all been done two or three times anyway Mercury must be in retrograde again But at least it's not just hangin' around pretendin' to be my friend Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention
tags: amnesia, clairvoyance, short story, thriller
ratings: 3 to 5 stars
from Amazon.com
A Killer Serial
If our memories make us who we are, who is a man without any? Nameless has only a gun, missions from a shadowy agency, and one dead aim: dispense justice when the law fails. As he moves from town to town, driven by splintered visions of the past and future, he's headed toward the ultimate confrontation in this propulsive series of short thrillers by bestselling author Dean Koontz.
The new 6-short story series is available to borrow from Amazon Kindle Prime. Each book is a very short, an hour or maybe less than an hour, read. Nameless is nameless, has amnesia, can see the future (clairvoyant) but has glimpses of the past crimes by the people he is pursuing. He is provided various names by the agency, is given large amount of cash and a different car for each mission which is to hunt down and punish horrific evil people. You want him to succeed each and every time.
tags: assassins, blood and gore, live action graphic novel, thriller
from IMDB
A retiring assassin suddenly finds himself on the receiving end of a hit, contracted by none other than his own employer seeking to cash in on the pensions of aging employees.
This movie has been on my queue for almost a year already but I found the time to watch it only yesterday because I have a million on my list on Netflix and Amazon.
I like the movie a lot. It is one of the bloodiest but having seen many gangster Japanese and Korean movies, I'm neither shocked nor horrified. The "battle" scene in the hallway is very similar to the 2014 Korean movie For The Emperor.
This movie is based on web comics or graphic novel, hence the vivid colors and odd characters. I like the vicious reed-thin female assassin clad in tight leather clothing (remember Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman?) and the always cool and collected elderly secretary of the company boss. Many viewers compare it to John Wick series but I disagree. This movie is more fun and satirical, and really really over the top. Suspension of disbelief is a must when watching. Comparing it to real life is just dumb and you will end up disliking it if you do.
Recommended for fans of action flicks with lots of spilled blood.
One of Agatha Christie’s personal favorites, Endless Night is a critically acclaimed classic crime thriller from the beloved queen of mystery.
When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal “accidents” happen.
I'm very disappointed with the books I read this year so I started reading old classics. Two Agatha Christie novels that I've never read before, Endless Night and And Then There Were None (Ten Little Indians) are both very good. I also watched the movie adaptations of both novels. It's difficult to review Endless Night without revealing the plot but I assure you it's a great read and while the ending is not jaw-dropping it is satisfying and the novel is worth reading. BTW, the title is from William Blake's poem Auguries of Innocence Every night and every morn Some to misery are born,
Every morn and every night Some are born to sweet delight. Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night
Highly recommended for Agatha Christie fans. Movie adaptation streaming on Amazon and Kanopy stars Hayley Mills.
I'm back after a 3-year absence from this blog. As of today, I have finished reading 66 books for this year, all fiction but 1. Half of them are not good at all. It's disheartening to read and rate UGLY my favorite authors' books specifically John le Carré's Agent Running in the Field and Lee Child's Blue Moon (Jack Reacher). IMHO, John le Carré wrote this novelette Agent Running in the Field to rant against President Trump and the US. I knew he always hated the USA but I didn't mind it in his old books. I remember one or two books with short sentences against the Bushes and the Republican Party. He is still my favorite spy novel author regardless. This new book, however, is filled with f-bombs, vitriol, and obscenities against President Trump and Putin. It's as though I was reading leftist rags and Twitter feed and not a spy novel. It also lacks his trademark wry humor. I finished until the end which is anticlimactic. Sad. I hope at his ripe old age of 87, he lets go of his hatred of the USA and writes new excellent spy novels.