Month: November 2017

Peppered Justice

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, EntertainmentLeave a comment
pepperPeppered Justice (Cambodia Trilogy Book 2) 
by Mark Bibby Jackson, Joe Slater (Illustrator), Kate Burbidge (Editor), Jonny Edbroke (Photographer)

 

Edmond Gagnon‘s review

Nov 24, 2017  

 

I took too long to read this book, and forgot a few details along the way so maybe I would have enjoyed it more in other circumstances. It is a good book and the setting is familiar to me, having visited that part of Cambodia.
What I did take from the plot is that politics and policing travel hand in hand, no matter what country you’re in. I liked that the protagonist was no hero, but and honest cop who believed in getting the job done.
The story itself is a descent who-done-it, with enough clues and misdirection to keep you guessing until the end.

Murder on the Orient Express

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

Orient

I for one, can’t believe that Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express took forty years to bring back to the big screen. The scenery, costumes, and characters in this movie are as colorful as the actors who portray a list of suspects that reminded me of the game “Clue.”

The mustache on the Belgian Detective who investigates a murder on-board is almost as long as the train itself. His powers of observation and deduction take him from passenger to passenger, while he uncovers clues and lies.

The movie moved a bit slow in the middle, but the classic whodunit kept me guessing until the end. I’d seen the movie when I was a kid, but didn’t remember much of it. As entertaining as the flick was, Cathryn and I both give it a 7 out of 10.

Victoria & Abdul

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

victoriaVictoria & Abdul is a (mostly) true story about the unusual friendship of Queen Victoria of England, and an Indian servant named Abdul, who becomes her teacher. It’s a good flick for the big screen, it captures the grandeur of places like Windsor Castle and the Taj Mahal.

The story is set at the turn of the century when India is part of the British Empire. The plot gives us a look at English pomp and pretentiousness first hand. Even the aging Queen admits that all the ridiculous celebrations are killing her. From bowel movements to boredom, Judy Dench gives us an inside look at what it’s like to be at the top of a monarchy.

Unlike other movies that focus on body counts or comic book superheros, Victoria & Abdul is mostly fun and good entertainment. Cathryn rates it an 8 and I a 7 out of 10.