January 17th, 2010 — 1.5 Stars, Bastard, Convict, Cowboy, Foster/Orphan, Historic America, Marriage of Convenience, Movie Reviews, Pregnant, United States of America, Widow or Widower
I remember watching this a long time ago. Now I know why I haven’t seen it since. Four people make this movie: Christopher Reeve (Will Parker), Helen Shaver (Lula Peak), and the two kids who play Baby Thomas and Donald Wade.
Nina Foch (Miss Beasley) could have been utilized better and would have been great but her part wasn’t fleshed out in the movie like it was in the book.
Deborah Raffin’s (Crazy Elly Dinsmore) performance was too brusque and strident for a role which has always read to me as concerned, soft, and maternal.
The settings and filming were great, I thought. I really liked the house, her farm, the town. I liked the style of filming for the most part. About the only thing truly cheesy in the film is the love scene montage between Will and Elly.
My two favorite parts of the movie were the egg hurling and gift giving scenes. Reeve is amazing and Raffin is at her best. It’s these scenes that really carry the whole film. They’re precious and very sweet.
The book spans two years (1941-1943). The movie ten months. This change basically stripped Will Parker of his military career and the character development that occurred because of it. It also means that Elly and Will had sex together two months after the marriage started and one month before his arrest for the murder of Lula Peak.
The first half of the movie was like a condensed version of the novel. It made a lot of the scenes too harsh or too flat. The romance between Will and Elly was going along just fine until right after the egg throwing scene. After the hurled eggs, the movie takes a turn for the worst. First, both characters rushed too fast and unbelievably into love especially compared to the slow pacing at the beginning. Second, the storylines in the second half of the novel are changed completely to suit an hour and a half television movie.
For instance, the whole Lula Peak plot was ripped asunder and rewritten shoddily. Motivations that made sense in the book make no sense in the movie. Reese Goodlow (who is a decent man in the book) is a shitty small town cop. Will is on parole in the movie and Reese keeps badgering him. Reese is also the one cheating on his wife Mae with Lula instead of Harley Overmire, the superintendent at the local sawmill. This and the time crunch completely screw up the trial.
Really, the trial is a laugh. It makes no sense whatsoever. Reese is not the murderer, Harley still is. Reese in the movie should know without a doubt that Will has not had relations with Lula because if he had, Lula would drop Reese like yesterday’s old news. The evidence and witnesses are a bunch of baloney.
Another thing to upset me is the scene where Lula sneaks up on Will in the library. He actually lets her kiss him. That doesn’t happen in the book! It is totally against Will’s character. He is less of a hero because of it.
Conclusion: read the book instead, you’ll like it more.
Rating: 1.5 Stars
Buy: Morning Glory [VHS]
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September 10th, 2009 — 4.5 Stars, Bastard, Foster/Orphan, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Historical Romance, Lisa Kleypas, Plump/Endowed Heroine, Pregnant, Rogues and Rakehells, Spinster, Victorian, Virgin Heroine, Writer
By: Zarabeth, guest reviewer
This is a fantastic spinster story set in 1836 England. Our heroine, Amanda, is a 30-yr old spinster supporting herself as a novelist who has decided to do something for herself, for once in her life. As we well know a never-married 30 yr old woman is quite on the shelf, but this does not prevent her from having the same sexual needs as any other woman. So our heroine, and my heroine for this, hires a male prostitute for her 30th birthday completely disregarding social conventions of virginity and premarital sex.
On her birthday a suitable man with an association to the escort service does appear on her doorstep and we assume that this is her prostitute. As the reader we are mortified to learn that this man is not a prostitute despite his sexual actions with our heroine. Later in the book Amanda and the not-prostitute Jack meet at a social/publishing event.
The story as a whole involves Jack doing everything he can to get Amanda back in bed and eventually convinces her to have an affair with him. I very much enjoyed the affair and the experiences of our main characters in public and in private (rating: 5). Once Amanda decides that the affair must end, things get pretty complicated and despair ensues. Months into this unfortunate depression we discover that Amanda is pregnant. Again, our never-married 30 yr old woman has just discovered that she is pregnant- this is a problem. Our Amanda must now decide whether to move to the continent or marry below her standards and whether or not to tell Jack about his child (rating: 4).
I call this a solid 4.5. There are 2 reasons that this review is not a full 5: there is some rear-entry stuff (gags and feels uncomfortable) and there is a bit too much time spent on inner-turmoil instead acts based on inner turmoil.
Rating: 4.5
Originally posted 2009-01-13 05:00:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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August 24th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Demon, Erotica, Guest Reviews, Headaches, P-R, Paranormal, Scarred Hero
Guest reviewer: Susan Sigler
Quinn’s books never disappoint me and Possession is no exception. Her writing is fluid, while her plots are mesmerizing, dark, and delicious. You’ll be addicted from the very first page!
While reading Possession, I immediately empathized with the heroine (Kendra Carter). Kendra’s life choices have never been her own. She was always governed by the men in her life. Her now deceased father Nathaniel, ex-boyfriend Michael, and step-brother Gerald.
Kendra returns home from rehab, to find there’s a new addition to her father’s estate. Her stepbrother has purchased a rare book, a book said to have been written by the devil himself. This unholy bible titled Delomelanicon is now in the library, to co-exist with them; under their very roof.
I must say I disliked Gerald early on; it always appeared to me that he was maintaining some sort of façade.
Unknowingly, Kendra unleashes a powerful demon called Remi. He’s a demon of revelation that showers her with sinful pleasures. Soon after, she begins to worry she’ll have to sacrifice her eternal soul to this demon. Is the pleasure worth the price?
The issues addressed are issues many of us will relate to. Issues of guilt and grief over a loved one’s death. Kendra also struggles with low self-esteem, anger, betrayal, and the search for love and acceptance.
There were a myriad of fundamental themes, so many in fact; I’m calling it an erotic fable. These lessons are to forget one’s past blunders, to follow your own path, that it’s o.k. to break free from repressed sexual urges, to accept oneself, and that beauty lies within.
It was a treat to read along as Kendra’s character is transformed and reinvented. It’s this reason I chose her as my favorite character.
Quinn included lots of plot twists that I consider OMG (Oh! My God) moments. Aside from the dark plot, there were comic elements thrown in like confetti. The author also wrote a bathroom scene that’s downright wicked. In this scene Remi uses telekinetic abilities, and it’s in this scene Kendra has a precognition that is absolutely bone chilling.
Quinn’s plots never take a back seat to the erotica. She blends all the essential elements with exact doses. Not to mention, the ending was so devilishly appropriate, I had an evil grin when I read it.
Rating: 5 Pitchforks or Rather 5 Stars
Buy: Possession
Aphrodisia, Erotic Romance, Kensington Books, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Copyright 2009, Print Pages 266. ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-2852-9, ISBN-10: 0-7582-2852-X
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