The Winning Hand

winning hand

The Winning Hand By: Nora Roberts

Plot:

“Did you say I won almost two million dollars?” Running away from her former life and her controlling fiance, Darcy Wallace was down to her last ten dollars. And in the bright lights of a Las Vegas casino, Darcy gambled and won! Suddenly the small-town girl was big news – and in need of protection. Robert MacGregor Blade, the casino owner, was determined to make sure Darcy could enjoy her good fortune. But Darcy knew what she wanted: a chance with Mac himself. And surely her luck was in?

Review:

This book is the ultimate wish fulfillment for me. The heroine is a librarian who decides to leave her former life (I don’t want to leave my life just the location). She winds up in Vegas and then wins a huge jackpot. She buys a house with cash. She gets her novels sold to a publisher.

Seriously I would love all of that.

Oh and there’s a romance as well. I’ve already got my man I don’t need that part of the book. It’s ok, though, it doesn’t take away from the other awesome stuff.

5/5

Leverage (2008-2012)

leverage-cast

Network:

TNT

Starring:

Timothy Hutton

Gina Bellman

Aldis Hodge

Christian Kane

Beth Riesgraf

Plot:

A crew of high-tech crooks attempt to steal from wealthy criminals and corrupt businessmen.

Review:

I recently binge watched all of the seasons of Leverage. It took me longer than pre-baby but oh well.

The first four seasons were lacking in any kind of character development, but the heist of a week wasn’t a bad deal. Really the only development was with Nate, Timothy Hutton’s character, and it wasn’t forward development. Poor Parker, Beth Riesgraf, didn’t grow at all and then in the fifth season she became an almost different person.

The last season was character development overload. Back story was being learned on Parker and Elliot, Christian Kane, that had never been mentioned before. Parker and Hardison, Aldis Hodge, were definitely dating and there was even PDA. Nate and Sophie, Gina Bellman, were also most certainly in a relationship. It had been alluded to in previous seasons but there was never really anything positive there. She was always trying to get him to stop drinking and he was always trying to drink.

Technically I think it could have ended with season four but I really enjoyed the fact that the characters actually got to stretch out of their molds and grow in season five.

3/5

Homefront (2013)

Homefront_2013_dvd

Director:

Gary Fleder

Starring:

Jason Statham

James Franco

Winona Ryder

Plot:

A former DEA agent moves his family to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord.

Review:

I will never understand directors that cast Jason Statham and then don’t showcase his talents. Yeah there’s action but with all the quick cuts and shaky cam who the hell knows what’s going on? It’s infuriating. The man can fight and he looks good fighting, but do you let people see that? No. You do so many cuts and shake so much that you end up just getting the vague idea that a fight has happened.

I’m over exaggerating, but just a little.

You’ve hired a choreographer and an action star fucking use them!

When you watch a fight do you bounce around from place to place in seconds? No. You find a place with a good view and watch as the fight happens. Why can’t movies do that? Every time there are copious amounts of quick cuts and shaky cam I’m taken out of the movie and get pissed off.

Anyway back to the movie.

The story was bad, the whole romantic story line just disappeared with no resolution. James Franco wasn’t as crazy as I thought he was going to be but he was probably the best part of the movie. I really don’t think Winona Ryder needed to be in the movie, she was just an extra character and her parts could have been given to someone else.

This was an adaption from a book which I haven’t read. Maybe the book makes more sense, maybe they had to cut out a lot for time. Whatever the case this movie did not work for me.

1.5/5

True

True

True By Laurann Dohner (New Species #11)

 I really like this series but I’m not sure why. Super dominate males don’t really do it for me but the world is very well created and really interesting. I might actually like a book set in this world without a romance. Obviously that’s not going to happen but if anyone knows a book like this without romance or with light romance let me know.

I was a bit disappointed with this one, though the heroine wasn’t as weak as others in the series have been. I was surprised to find a few editing issues, which just proves self-publishing isn’t the only side suffering from lack of editing. Maybe it’s because Dohner had a heart attack around this book release.

True was fairly one dimensional, which sometimes happens with her men, though not always. The world wasn’t as developed further as I would have liked and she depicts most male humans as bastards.

Overall the book just wasn’t as good as Moon, the previous one.

3/5

Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)

the butler

Director:

Lee Daniels

Starring:

Forest Whitaker

Oprah Winfrey

Plot:

As Cecil Gaines serves eight presidents during his tenure as a butler at the White House, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and other major events affect this man’s life, family, and American society.

Review:

First off, who names a film and puts their own name in the title?

This was a feel good movie that had me crying through the last third of it. He just wanted to support his family? Why couldn’t his son see that? Why couldn’t he see that his son had grown up and changed? So much bitterness, but it all turned out good in the end.

4/5