Kristopher McClanahan's Blog, page 3

Film Review - HALLOWEEN 1978

10 Things I learned While Watching
HALLOWEENJamie Lee Curtis can convincingly pull off a teenage girl and a male member of an 80's hair band at the same time. If you spill butter on yourself while making popcorn, promptly strip down to nothing but your panties and a white dress shirt.Always keep a white dress shirt in the kitchen in case of butter-related emergencies.Remember when kids could wear costumes to school?That was awesome.Lurking in a creepy costume around the edges of buildings in the middle of the day is both creepy and hilarious.Newfangled plastic hangers will not make handy stabbing weapons the way sturdy wire ones did.Inside out masks are always creepier than regular right side out ones.At one point, does a teenage dude make a joke about undressing a little girl his friend is babysitting? That's messed up. Nerdy girls are survivors. 
4/5

Book Review - WAYWARD by Blake Crouch

WAYWARD
by Blake Crouch 2013, 322 pages, Thriller, Advance eBook
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013   
Re: A sequel to PINES, WAYWARD picks up a few weeks later in the mysterious and flawed town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. Without giving too much of the plot away, The new sheriff has some hard choices to make about the fate of the residents in this sleepy, isolated town in the mountains.
  Outstanding: Such a page-turner. Blake Crouch knows how to write a fun thriller. He never shies away from dirty twists, villainous villains and sneaky cliffhangers. 
  Unacceptable: I cannot stress enough how important it is to read the first book in the Wayward Pines series before reading this novel. There is a short blurb setting things up here, but you miss out on a lot if you don't read PINES. (Plus, the eBook's only five bucks, and quite enjoyable.) Beyond that, the only quibble I have is that despite the situations and history of the residents, some of their reactions seem off to me. On both extreme ends of the spectrum.
  Summary: A solid second novel in what is shaping up to be one of my favorite series of books. Quick reads, thrilling events, a fantastic sense of pacing and suspense. I really can't say too much about the bulk of the novel without spoiling things, but PINES was inspired by Twin Peaks with hints of the Twilight Zone and WAYWARD carries on the tradition, though it takes a more straightforward thriller route. It makes me anxious for the third in the series.
  5/5

Now Reading - THE EYE OF GOD
James Rollins

Book Review - PINES by Blake Crouch

PINES
by Blake Crouch2012, 211 pages, eBook, Thriller  
Re: A man wakes up in a grove beside a river in the mountains. He has no idea who he is or how he got there. Some things come back, some don't. But one thing he knows for certain - Wayward Pines, Idaho has something seriously wrong with it.
  Outstanding: A truly great, slow burning feeling of dread in this book. The main character is very human, both in his actions and thoughts. Such an intriguing concept for a book. 
  Unacceptable: There are a few actions of the residents of Wayward Pines that don't ring true to me, though some are explained down the line. I've never seen a Victorian house in Idaho, particularly in the small mountain towns....
  Summary: I have a hard time reviewing a novel like this, without giving anything away. This is the second time I've read PINES and enjoyed it just as much this time around. Crouch was inspired by Twin Peaks when he wrote this, and the creepy, absurd, claustrophobic atmosphere shows that. The twists are all great and flow well with the plot. Recommended. 
  5/5

Now Reading - WAYWARD
by Blake Crouch

Book Review - FOUND by H Terrell Griffin

 FOUND
by H. Terrell Griffin2013, 354pgs, Murder Mystery, Advance eBook
Publication Date: Nov. 19, 2013   
Re: The Eighth Matt Royal novel, this mystery novel finds him and his detective sweetie J.D. unraveling the seemingly unprovoked murder of an older man living on their remote Florida island retreat.
  Outstanding: I'd not read any of the previous Royal entries and this novel let me dive right in without needing any introductions to enjoy the story. Royal is surrounded by an appealingly motley crew of friends that keep things interesting. Apart from a few side stories that seemed unneeded, the plot, which involves a missing bit of history and possible mob involvement is intriguing and fast-paced.
  Unacceptable: The only real sour note for me was Jock, Royal's mysteriously skilled US bad-ass spy guy. I actually liked the character quite a lot - I think every detective needs a stoic Hawk or Joe Pike, but there were a few too many similarly worded paragraphs about why he returned to the island. 
  Summary: Griffin tells a good tale with FOUND. It's an uncommon thing these days to have a book take place in Florida and not be filled with over the top wacky characters. Griffin peppers some humor on top of a solid murder mystery without ever falling victim to that tendency. It made me want to read the earlier entries in the series, and FOUND is going into my permanent collection. Recommended.
  4/5

Now Reading - DELIA'S SHADOW
by Jaime Lee Moyer

Book Review - HOSTILE WITNESS by William Lashner

HOSTILE WITNESSBy William Lashner1996, 486 pages, Legal Thriller, eBook  
This is the third or fourth time (At least) that I've read Hostile Witness. I found Lashner's books about six years ago and really liked them. His hero, slightly scuzzy underdog attorney Victor Carl is funny and bumbling with enough greed and heart to make his novels fun to read. Hostile Witness is the first in the series and Carl has been offered a chance to finally make something of his pathetic little law degree by silently representing a second in a trial run by a respected law firm. It sounds too good to be true and he soon finds himself WAY over his head.

As before, Lashner's novels drag me in immediately and stay enjoyable most of the way through. This particular time however, I did find the scenes with the girlfriend to drag on far longer than I remembered and I skimmed over them, vaguely annoyed. 

That said, great book. One that I have on my reader and in paperback in my permanent library.


4/5

 Now Reading:FOUNDby H. Terrell Griffin

Book Review - IRON LAKE by William Kent Krueger

IRON LAKE
by William Kent Krueger1998, 464 pages, Mystery/Thriller, eBook  
Re: Part Irish, part Native American, Corcoran "Cork" O'Connor puts aside his grudge against the small Minnesota town that rejected him as a sheriff to investigate a sinister conspiracy responsible for the murder of the local judge.(From Fantastic Fiction)
Outstanding: A very unique setting - a town on the edge of a lake and an indian reservation. O'Connor is a really appealing character with a good supporting crew as well.
  Unacceptable: The ending had a few too many wham-bang Hollywood style chases and set pieces. I had a hard time not picturing everyone talking with exaggerated "Fargo" Accents for some reason. (But that was no fault of the author or the book.... )
  Summary: I enjoyed this book, enough that I read the second right after. Krueger has a very readable style and the locale is fully realized. The mystery itself left me a little cold, but the characters were enough to keep me engaged. A great choice for a cold, snowy day.
  4/5

Food Review - Banquet Deep Dish Sausage & Gravy

Banquet Deep Dish Sausage & Gravy7oz, 450 calories, $1

 
Re: Banquet's classic oven pot pie filled with sausage and white gravy.
  Outstanding: Extremely simple to cook. The same crust as when I was a kid. The gravy is pretty decent - creamy and mildly peppery. 
  Unacceptable: The sausage was extremely bland, almost tasteless. The entire pot pie is missing substance, I felt like I was just eating a bowl of gravy. The crust is the same as when I was kid, but it doesn't blend as well with the gravy as a good biscuit would. Quite high in sodium.
  Summary: I grew up with these little pot pies. They were cheap and easy meals for nights when I was a kid and they're still pretty reasonably priced, though I miss the foil pie tin. This version, intended to be a breakfast addition is way too salty to be a very wise choice and unless you're eating some eggs or something with it, it's far too much gravy to be satisfying or very good for you. Decent flavors and execution, just a totally unnecessary existence.
  2/5 

Film Review - The Amazing Spider-Man

THE AMAZING SPIDERMANDirected by Marc Webb
Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rys Ifans2012, 136mins, [PG-13] Superhero Action
 
Re: Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.
Outstanding: Beautiful. The web swinging and spider-man's movements in this version of the film absolutely blew me away. They show a real weight and grace and some of his actions are a better use of his abilities than I've ever seen. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is completely adorable.
  Unacceptable: The schmaltzy New York banding together to help Spidey nonsense was goofy as hell. As cool as it was, the design of the Lizard still looked off to me, I think it was the lack of a snout - they tried to humanize the design too much.
  Summary: I haven't seen the other ones in quite a long time, but I think this is my favorite incarnation of Spider-man on film. The plot isn't anything wonderful, just standard Hollywood Superhero Blockbuster stuff, but the effects and care put into making Spider-man's actions look just right helped immensely. Also, Peter's a bit of a douche, but let's face it a smart orphan that gets picked on suddenly has powers? He's gonna be a douche.

  5/5

Film Review - One For The Money

ONE FOR THE MONEYDirected by Julie Ann Robinson
Starring Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler2012, 91mins, [PG-13] Mystery-Comedy  
Re: Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.
Outstanding: Katherine Heigl is actually really appealing in this. She's brunette and frizzy and hits just the right level of exasperated pluck. Everyone else is decent as well. Noir-style voice-overs are always a plus in my book.
  Unacceptable: Some of the subplots from the novel are missing, leaving the movie feeling a bit disjointed. The direction is nothing spectacular, at times it felt more like a TV pilot than a feature film, especially with the horrid music.
  Summary: It was actually surprisingly appealing to watch a big screen adaptation of a book I was ambivalent about. No concerns about the casting or detailed comparisons to key scenes, just an idle curiosity. I think this made me enjoy the movie more than I would have normally. And Heigl, who I've liked a lot in some roles and absolutely hated in others was really cute here. The location (New Joisey) was almost a character itself.
  4/5

Film Review - The Hit List

THE HIT LISTDirected by William Kaufman
Starring Cole Hauser, Cuba Gooding Jr.2011, 90mins, [R] Action  
Re: A man who's having a bad day chats up another man at a bar. At the end of the night, the stranger asks him to write five names on a napkin - those people start dropping like Cuba's career trajectory...
  Outstanding: A somewhat clever idea, though everything that happens from the beginning is extremely obvious. Cuba is interesting to watch as a cold hearted, rough-looking killer. 
  Unacceptable: The scene in the bar talking about the first dead man was awkward and never really explained. Generally speaking, there were a lot better ways to spend two hours. Especially after the big reveal about his wife at the end.
   Summary: Meh. Free on Netflix. Better than paying to rent it. Man oh man, Cole Hauser looks funny as hell on the poster.
  2/5