Newcomer

Newcomer turned out to be even better than I expected. It actually had a positive tone and more than a few emotional moments. Mr. Higashino never lets me down. Highly recommended even if you are not into the genre.  

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger is just as good as I hoped it would be, I actually didn't want it to end. She writes so well and tells a story so good. 

Steelheart

Steelheart is a YA novel in full Brandon Sanderson style. It didn't work me despite the man being a good storyteller and the reader did a good job (especially with the Indian accent) however this did not work for me at all but I didn't hate it so I finished it but will not continue the series. 

Miss Hammurabi

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Miss Hammurabi was not very interesting to me based on the plot and I kind of got turned off by the name but it turned out to be a drama tailor made for me. Cried during every episode, loved the leads and the secondary leads (the male lead has the most adorable dimples too)and it was full of positive messages and melodrama. Some parts of it felt cut but it didn't bother me that much. I loved it and highly recommend.

1922

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1922 is one of the better Stephen King adaptations. I liked it very much (got truly creeped out by the mice) and kudos to Thomas Jane, that was a great performance. The character is not very nuanced although is interesting to watch his descent to various degrees of guilt and madness. Mr. King is gifted not only with a great writing talent, he is also a wonderful storyteller and watching this film was very close to the reading experience I had. 

Gelin

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Gelin Lütfi Akad üçlemesinin birinci filmi. Ben sanırım sadece ikincisi izledim ama ancak bazı sahnelerini hatırlıyorum. Film çok güzeldi. Çok güzel bir öykü anlatımı var, zarif ve güçlü olmasına rağmen kafaya kakıcı bir tarzda değil. Oyuncular harikaydı. Hülya Koçyiğit benim favori oyuncum değil (ben Türkan Şoraycıyım, sonra da Filiz Akın) ama performansı çok iyiydi. Tüm kadro çok iyiydi hatta. Tavsiye ederim. 

The Night Comes For Us

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The Night Comes For Us is not a horror film by genre definition I suppose but I kind of think it as horror since I was horrified watching it (in a good way). First off let me get it out of the way; this does not have the cinematic action high of Raid (and Raid 2 in a way) but it is nicely done and director Timo Tjahjanto has inserted sincerity in it. Despite the lack of any clear character definition in the script (and what ever there is are revealed layer by layer as the film progresses) I immediately feel for the characters. I liked it very much and the special effects and stunts were really good. 

Cam

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Cam is yet another cam girl fiction (I have read two novels already with this profession providing the setting) and it is a decent one despite one plot point that I could not understand. I liked the acting and the rythm of the film. 







(SPOILERS!!!)

In the end after cancelling her stolen account she opened a new one with a fake ID. Why couldn't she open it when she first tried with her real ID and was not able to?  

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs turned out to be very entertaining. And if you like Coen Brothers' films then you are in for a good time. I don't know if it is a good one to start to watch these directors ouvre. Maybe start with Fargo and if it appeals to you then go on to No Country for Old Men and The Big Lebowski (my fave film of theirs) and then watch this one. Great cast and art direction. My favorite is probably the first story. 

Kader

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Kader filmini daha önce izlemiş ve beğenmiştim ancak Masumiyet'i izleyince tekrar izlemek istedim ve birini bitirip diğerine başladım. Bu film görsel olarak Masumiyet'ten daha güzel ancak yönetmenin kurgu tercihleri - bir tık daha iyi olmasına rağmen- yine benim sevdiğim gibi değildi. Oyunculuk olarak Ufuk Bayraktar çok çok çok iyiydi. Masumiyet'te Haluk Bilginer'in canlandırdığı Bekir karakterinin gençliğini oynuyor ve çok iyi (tabii Haluk Abiyle daha aşık atamaz ama yetenek var ve bariz). Vildan Atasever ise kendisini çok sevdiğim ve çok çok güzel bulduğum ama maalesef çok iyi rol yapamayan bir oyuncu. Sesi çok fazla tiz ve kontrol edemiyor bazen. Ama elinden gelenin en iyisini ortaya koymuş ve güzel oturmuş rolüne. Ama maalesef Ufuk Bayraktar'ın yanında zayıf kalıyor. Neyse filmi yine beğendim. Daha fazla Zeki Demirkubuz filmi izlemeliyim galiba. 

Masumiyet

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Masumiyet herkesin beğenip benim bir türlü izlemek istemediğim filmlerden biri. En sonunda izledim dün ve beğendim. Yönetmen Zeki Demirkubuz güzel fikirleri olan, senaryo konusunda çok başarılı biri ancak editing ve görüntü konusundaki tercihleri benim zevkime pek uymuyor. Bu filmde ismi başta yazılan (ama rolü diğer oyuncu kadar çok olmayan) Haluk Bilginer ise kesinlikle ve açık ara filmin en iyi performansını gösteriyor. Başta yazılmayı fazlasıyla hak ediyor. Bunca sene kendisini farklı kereler defalarca izlemiş olmama rağmen yine de karakterde kayboldum izlerken. 

Shining Inheritance

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Shining Inheritance is one of my all time favorite Korean Dramas. This is the third time I watched it and I enjoy it every single viewing. Highly recommended especially if you like the Candy type girl with secretly kind hearted but acting like jerk chaebol type storyline. The second lead here is the shinging example of how a good man who has everything can lose a love interest. Jun Se oppa literally has everyting, kind heart, compassion, intelligence, successfull career (owns a high end restaurant), good family connections, great looks and fashion sense, admiration and love of all who come to contact with him yet he loses the girl to Hwan who is less handsome, same level of intelligence, has loads of emotional baggage and only really liked by another girl (who has deep emotional issues). Anyway once again I had a ball with this one. 

Vicious

Vicious turned out to be one of those sad occasions a reader sometimes had to experience. It is a well written, well told story which is very interesting from more than one point of view. However I just couldn't connect with it for some reason. It is not you, book, it is me. 

Pinocchio

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Pinocchio was not really a drama I was interested in since I don't particularlarly care for the lead actors. But I decided to give it a go and liked it a lot. The main couple is not the one in the photo btw but I liked it. Lee Jong Seuk was not really a leading man I liked since I think his face is too artifical (that nose screams plastic) but he actually is a good actor and since his character is a nice guy with tons of goodness I liked him very much. Park Shin Hye is also not an actress I like (the only exception probably is You Are Beautiful) but she was ok and likable. All in all I liked this drama and was properly entertained. But it was not like "I need to watch this NOW" or "I don't need sleep" levels of liking.

Fractured

Fractured turned out to be as good as I hoped it would be. I love Karin Slaughter novels and truly enjoyed this one (Very happy that I already purchased the third one in the series at an audible two for one deal, yay) 

Enchanted

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Enchanted I can't believe that stupid Bein Channel has censored True Love's Kiss. I'm not kidding it was kind of horrible for them to do that.  

A Prisoner of Birth

A Prisoner of Birth ended up being a decent read. And that is all there is to it. 

IQ

 IQ turned out to be a nod to Sherlock Holmes but with a nice makeover making it in 21st century L.A with a Dudson instead of a Watson. I really liked it. Most probably because Sullivan Jones did a great job of reading it and this is probably one of the novels you'd better read in audio format.

Monster Hunter International

Monster Hunter International turned out to be a not so well written but entertaining but far too long a novel. It is only recommended if you like human vs. monster action and b-movies. If you do not enjoy these two things then safely skip, you'll not be missing anything. 

Nevernight

Nevernight turned out to be amazing. I actually stopped everything and listened to it until 4:30 a:m. Yeah this doesn't happen often anymore and I loved it. I also loved the reader Holter Graham's performance. There were some sexually explicit scenes and those usually make me embarrassed when listening to (not when reading) but this one had the opposite effect. I'm hoping to get the other books right away. 

Con Air

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Con Air is actually just about as entertaining as I remember it to be. The bit about the serial killer is a bit sour tasting though.

Pitch Perfect III

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Pitch Perfect III is a bad film. On all levels. 

Consenting Adults

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Consenting Adults turned out to be a decent enough film. The only actor in the cast that worked for me is Kevin Spacey and it is probably because he is a despicable villain in real life so this role suited to him. 

The Royal Gambler (a.k.a Jackpot)

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The Royal Gambler (a.k.a Jackpot, Deabak in Korean) turned out to be one of those black hole sageuks, the ones that are not very good but for some reason gets me hooked in the first 4-5 episodes and I emotionally invest and then they turn sour towards the end but I feel compelled to finish just the same.

This one had a good cast, Jang Geun Suk is one of my favorites. He has a great speaking voice and gives 100 percent no matter what (I actually admired his professionalism in the final episodes of this one). He is not that good an actor but I like him. He and his co star (who is a better actor but not as charismatic as JGS) are masters of the single teardrop and it was a joy to watch them go at it. The best of the bunch is Choi Min Soo, who looked very handsome still. The baddie is a guy I don't really like as an actor (for no apparent reason) and it was good that he is a baddie since it was easy to dislike him. There was a female lead who probably got bad reviews and sort of dissappeared and then killed during the show. And one small female part got bigger and bigger since I think she got good reviews. Anyway it was melodramatic made me literally yell at the villain, and ended in a snooze.

SPOILER!!

Well at least the hero didn't die 

Dogtooth (Kynodontas)

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Dogtooth is worth of the praises it has gotten and been getting. Mr. Lanthimos is an interesting film maker to me since I don't particularly like his films (so far I have seen three) but I like watching them. His sense of humour works for me and this film is abundant with it. It is one of the most horrific and funny horror films I have seen in a while. And one of the many bounties of the film is that it is not gory at all. But it makes your skin crawl just the same. A powerful film maker and a powerful little film.