Categories
Film

Ben Affleck’s First Directorial Dud – Live by Night (2016)

Poster of the 2016 Ben Affleck Movie Live by Night.

This is why you should never carry expectations for a movie prior to watching it. Affleck both directed and starred in Argo, and has done the same in Live by Night (2016) – plus he received the sole screenwriting credit as well, but even as an experienced filmmaker, Affleck could not shine his trademark direction on such a bland script.

Ben Affleck as Batman.

Ben Affleck’s Batman could be a part of the Arkham Knight show! Read the latest Hollywood news here or click the image on the left.

The storyline is as generic as the cinematography. Based on critically-acclaimed Dennis Lehane’s Edgar Award-winning novel of the same name, this flick won’t be nominated for an Oscar anytime soon.

Is Ben Affleck’s Live by Night on Netflix Pakistan?

Yes it is. Watch it by signing up or logging in to your account on Netflix here.

Ben Affleck’s Live by Night Trailer.

The dialogues and character exchanges are unforgettable (though majority of the good talks would’ve been taken verbatim from the source material). Other things I liked about Live by Night include:

  • Acting is top-notch by both the main and secondary cast members. Both Sienna Miller and Zoe Saldana did a lot with the little screen-space that they shared.
  • Some fight scenes and chase sequences were brilliantly choreographed.

However, this venture is let down by its super-generic and predictable plot. It could’ve concluded in 90 minutes but we have an extra 35 minutes of what seems like extra footage, which I heard from people who’ve read the novel version, was done in order to mirror the ending of the book (which I’m sure is superior to this mediocre adaptation as Dehane is also the mastermind behind Shutter Island).

If Affleck decided to forego his directorial role in the next Batman movie, then it’s a wise decision, because WB already have made a massive commercial and critical loss with this one.

Live by Night Rotten Tomatoes’ Score – Critics/AudienceLive by Night IMDb RatingLiterary Retreat Score
35%/42%6.4/102 out of 4
Live by Night Ratings Comparison

What gangster movie from the same decade should I watch instead of Live by Night?

Want to catch a better 2010s era gangster movie? Then watch the underrated Gangster Squad (2013) instead of Live by Night (2016).

According to the critical consensus of Live by Night (2016) on Rotten Tomatoes:

Live by Night boasts Visual Style…

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Categories
Divination

Poverty Lines and Signs in Palmistry – The Hand Analysis of a Laborer in Urdu

Hand of a Laborer.

Haath mei struggle hai, 24 tak bohoth mental confusion hai, square hai jupiter pe tho delays in education and career, like getting a degree late, shaadi achi ho gi as waha pe cross mark hai, achay khandan mei ho gi, heart line trident se shuru ho rahi hai so luck in 3 things: love, career and health. 25 mei aap ne koi taraki ki ho gi specially business mei, aap ki ya tho shaadia hai ya ek lambi engagement thi jo thoot gayi phir 27 pe shaadi hui 2nd larki se, fingers achi nahi hai, confusion dekha thi hai, business skill thora acha hai magar studies mei below average, shayed aap unpar hai, aap 20s mei kahi dur shift huey apne birthplace se tho foreign connection hai, magar fate line ki shuruat life ke neechay se hai tho childhood was with strict parents, lack of freedom, and lower or lower middle class upbringing, 30 pe luck thora improve ho tha hai magar aap lower middle class se kabhi aa ge nahi jaa paaye ge, bachay aap ke minimum 2 ho ge maximum 3, retirement age achi jaayi gi kyu ke bachay support karay ge old age mei, aap ki mout 70s mei ho gi apne mulk mei, baaki aap diabetes ya obesity ke shekar ho saktey hai, agar family mei diabetes hai tho diyaan se rahay, mai abhi ke liye ye hi bata sakta hu, shukriya.

Or haan 32 mei aap baahir travel karay ge which will improve your life a lot!

Categories
Horror

The Scent of Decay (2021) by Madison Estes – Short Story Review

Kindle Cover of the horror anthology series Night Terrors edited and published by Scare Street.
Featured YouTuber Image of Madison Estes.

For those of you who don’t know Madison Estes, you’ve been missing out. She’s super multi-talented: Author, Creative Writing Instructor and BookTuber. Find out more about her by reading her interview as YouTuber of the Month for April 2021 by clicking here or on the image on the left.

The Scent of Decay (Short Story Review)

Originally featured in the 13th Volume of the horror anthology series Night Terrors edited and published by Scare Street, The Scent of Decay follows a guy who is haunted by the smell of his ex-girlfriend’s corpse after he kills her.

The Scent of Decay (2021) is a short supernatural horror-story written by Madison Estes around the events that follow after an argument between a couple ends up going horribly wrong. The tale is short and sweet, which makes it perfect to read in one sitting. Although the plot itself isn’t anything special, the effective writing, perfect pacing and a clever ending make it a very satisfying read.

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The plotline in the story is very simple and as a result there isn’t much unique about it which at times makes it seem slightly cliche (I’m looking at you creepy voice on the phone). You can pretty much surmise how things will progress throughout after a few pages. Additionally, a nitpick I have with the story was with the character Josh. I felt he was a little underutilized and that a bit more detail about his relationship with the main characters could have allowed there to be a better understanding of their emotions. The relationship between the couple also doesn’t entirely add up, because again, a lack of detail makes it a little hard to relate to them and fully understand their situation.

One of my favorite book reviews on Madison Estes’ YouTube Channel. She really dissects the plot expertly, compares the adaptation to the original, and that too in a short span of time. What’s more? She separates her reviews into two halves: Spoiler and Non-Spoiler. Her intros are one-of-a-kind as well where she often roleplays as one of the characters of the content she is reviewing.

The writing in the story is topnotch and to the point. There is no unnecessary amount of detail when it comes to description and the language is simple, which ensures that the story flows at a very good pace. It gets you hooked from the start, which is why I found myself unable to stop reading it until the very end. I was impressed by the author’s vocabulary use, especially in relation to the smells and how she was able to make me picture them in various ways, which also ends up doing a lot of justice to the title of the story. Her writing was even able to salvage a lot of predictability in the story, like for example, while the creepy voice on the phone was cliche, it still had me anxious and this was all due to how well she wrote the scene. The very clever ending just caps it off, tying up the story brilliantly and she does this just by subtly bringing up a little detail which I won’t spoil.

Overall, if you’re looking for a brilliantly written and quick read, then I would definitely recommend this story. However, you won’t find anything new or different from this tale.

Other Short Story Reviews

The Discontinued (2021) by Jessica Stevens

The Grownup (2015) by Gillian Flynn

Kindle Cover of the horror anthology series Night Terrors edited and published by Scare Street.

If you liked my review of The Scent of Decay don’t forget to grab a copy of Night Terrors Volume 3 by clicking here or on the awesome Kindle Edition cover on the left.