Tag: review

Boston Strangler – Review

Disney Plus have recently released a movie about a famous murderer. Having seen the trailer, I was intrigued to see that Kiera Knightly played a journalist for the American Record, who took it upon herself to hunt him down. My Boston Strangler review is all about thoughts on this under-publicised film.

In A Nutshell

This movie is a true story of how a woman working for a prominent US newspaper wrote about a string of vicious murders. She had to convince her boss to let her deep dive into the killings and keep reporting on the continued investigation.

With many of the attacks involving a tell-tale signal, Loretta (Kiera Knightley) was starting to notice potential linkages. Despite being advised to leave it to the male reporters, she continued to push to see the evidence for herself and join the dots.

Set in the 1960s, this narrative was well told. The dim lighting and stylish cinematography make this an easy watch. The subject matter, however, is disturbing. Having said that, you see very little gore but mostly watch the lead up to each murder.

Positives

– The movie is well written with a good pace.

– Quality acting from Kiera and others.

– I felt intrigued and surprised throughout.

– The cinematography made it feel like you were taken back to 1960s America.

Point to improve

– If I am honest I was totally satisfied with this film but I do feel it would have made an excellent TV series. It deserved wider advertising and more credit.

Final Thoughts

With an audience score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film is definitely well received. Kiera plays the lead cleverly and you really get a feel for what it must have been like working at a newspaper during a very traumatic time.

Thank you for taking the time to read my brief review of ‘Boston Strangler’. For another of my film review articles check out my thoughts on the recent Dungeons and Dragons movie.

Review: Sara Cox’s Thrown – A Dramatic Hit?

I have always liked Sara Cox and remember seeing her present the Big Breakfast as well as the Radio One Breakfast Show back in the early 2000s. She made me smile when she hosted ‘The Great Pottery Throwdown’ and I especially enjoy her TV panel show about books – ‘Between The Covers’ – on BBC 2. So it was obvious that I would want to try out her autobiography and now this new work of fiction. Make up your own mind about her book but here is my Sara Cox’s ‘Thrown’ review.

I was lucky enough to bump into Sara Cox at the Eurostar terminal in Amsterdam in the summer and she had a book tucked into her pocket. We spoke about her TV show and she mentioned that she actually read each book that would be discussed in the upcoming series. She was absolutely wonderful to chat with and I later discovered that she had a debut novel – which is what I reviewed in this post.

I am excited to have offer this book for review.

What’s It All About?

Four women join a new pottery class at their local community centre, not knowing just how important that group would be for them. Becky hopes that the class will breathe a new breath of fresh air into the venue which had been struggling to find users.

She had an ex-boyfriend in prison who was soon to be released and her son was about to go abroad and work as a club rep. Meanwhile, Sheila was getting used to her son having flown the nest and her husband being unwilling to consider retirement in sunny Spain.

Jameela was a successful lawyer whose inability to get pregnant had forced a wedge between her and her husband while Louise was longing to work in a more creative career.

The pottery teacher was handsome and intriguing with a skilful way of bringing the potters together. Each chapter was told from a different character’s viewpoint and the storyline was cleverly entwined.

In A Nutshell

The book was cleverly written and I could feel the northern aspect of the setting. Sara worked hard to give nuggets of information as the book went on. Her narrative was moving, amusing and relatable. The pottery references were interesting and the use of humour was great.

I would totally recommend picking up a copy of this very warm and inviting book. As a book review writer, I really have enjoyed both reading and reviewing this new novel.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you will consider commenting and following my blog for future similar content. Meanwhile, here is a review of Joanne Harris’ fantastic novel, Blackberry Wine.

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If you have Kindle Unlimited, perhaps you would like to check out my original short stories. I would appreciate some reads to celebrate the fourth birthday of my book Short Dates. Thank you so much for checking out my bookish blog,

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande- A Movie Review

Emma Thompson is one of my favourite actresses and so I was always going to see her recent film, whether it was good or not. From the trailer, ‘Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’ was a bit different from anything else I had seen her in. It was about a middle aged woman meeting a sex worker. Without doubt, I needed to write a movie review about this controversial project. Hopefully, you will make your own mind up about it and maybe you will be tempted to have a watch.

Overview

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande – Rotten Tomatoes 95%

This movie was intriguing as it looked at this particular setting from a very different perspective. Emma’s character, Nancy, had never been fulfilled in her previous relationship with her now deceased husband. This encounter was her way of ticking certain things off.

Leo Grande was a charming, smart guy who had been booked by Nancy for her entertainment in a hotel suite. When Nancy showed her nerves, he confronted her insecurities and engaged in conversations which explained more about his line of work and her low self esteem.

My Thoughts

Without giving too much away, this fascinating film was mainly a series of meetings between the two main characters. In fact, there were very few other people appearing in the movie. Nonetheless this one hour and thirty seven minute film flew by.

A mix of seriousness and humour, the script was thought-provoking and clever. It really drew attention to the fact that some women never get to experience a climax in bed and highlighted some of the less extreme elements of paid companionship. Men can be hired merely to keep someone company. An anecdote about one man paying for Leo to dress up as a cat and sit in the corner for an hour was especially eye-opening.

I totally recommend watching this movie as it is very entertaining and the brilliant script by Katy Brand is witty, intelligent and illuminating. Rotten tomatoes awarded the movie 95% and it is getting plenty of critical acclaim.

When I write a movie review I try to be open minded but I do find it hard to dislike a Thompson film. Please drop your own thoughts on this fascinating movie. For another of my reviews, check out this one of Coda which is also a fantastic film.