Gran Turismo – The Movie

It seems that movie makers have finally gotten back to putting good films back into movie theatres and Gran Turismo is exactly that. But is it a movie about a video game or car racing? Turns out it’s a movie about both. Cathryn and I were skeptical when we heard about this one, both being clueless about simulated racing video games. Our fears were short-lived.

In a nutshell, Gran Turismo is something played by ‘gamers’. But in this case, Nissan runs a contest to see who the best ‘sim-racer’ is, in the hopes of putting him or her behind the wheel of one of their real life race cars. The challenge seems impossible to all but the promoter, played by Orlando Bloom, the only big name actor in the movie.

Based on a true story, Nissan selects contest winners from around the world and sends them to race car training camp. From that point on this flick is a Cinderella story. There are some suspected pitfalls and other pleasant surprises that easily keep the audience interested.

If you’re a gamer or racing enthusiast, this movie is for you. The special effects in both worlds is high octane action, where you can almost feel the excitement and g-forces the young drivers experience. It’s hard to believe this story really happened and you should see it for yourself. Cathryn and I both loved it and each give it a 10 out of 10.

The Bat – Jo Nesbo

The Bat by Jo Nesbo (June 04,2013)
by Jo Nesbø (Goodreads Author)

Edmond Gagnon‘s review, Aug 01, 2023 it

I just couldn’t finish this one and struggled to give it 3 stars. The cover says it’s the first Harry Hole thriller but it’s more like a chiller. I gave up on page 200, about half-way through the book.

Having read Nesbo’s Snowman and also seeing the movie, maybe I expected too much. It was the author’s first time out so maybe he was only beginning to polish his act.

There is way too much useless fluff and character backstory – one part in particular where a whole chapter is wasted on useless information about an inconsequential person. At least twice, I had to flip back to the beginning to remember what the opening murder scene was all about.

Perhaps the story gets better in the end. Guess I’ll never know.