Alright guys, I have something very special for you today. Paula Stoke’s latest novel, Liars, Inc came out last week and I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy, if you haven’t already. You can read my official review here, but basically, it’s awesome. To celebrate this, Paula is here to share her top five movies about lying. Then, I’ll share mine as well! Enjoy!
Paula: Hi guys! I’m psyched to be hanging out on Bows & Bullets Reviews, home of great reviews and one of my favorite tote bags ever. I’ve done a ton of blog posts about books in general and my book in particular and today I’m switching it up to talk about five of my favorite lying liar movies. There are some fantastic films with cheats and con artists, both as good guys and as bad guys.
VERY BAD THINGS (1998): If you know me then you know I love flawed characters. They don’t come more flawed than the cast of Very Bad Things. The set-up is similar to The Hangover—a group of men go to Vegas for a bachelor party and all hell breaks loose. This movie starts out dark when one of the men accidentally kills a prostitute. Then it just gets darker and darker as the entire group works to cover up the death and get the groom home in time for his wedding. If you’re into extra-dark comedies where everyone gets what’s coming to them, you want to check out Very Bad Things.
NOW YOU SEE ME (2013): On the opposite side of the spectrum, this 2013 magician movie is funny and feel-good from start to finish. A team of illusionists pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money. The FBI and Interpol team up to try to take them down, but the magicians are always one step ahead. This movie has a very sleight-of-hand ending—the kind of thing I normally wouldn’t like—but it worked for me. And when I watched the movie a second time, it still worked. I’m ready for a sequel.
THE ITALIAN JOB (2003): It’s a little like Ocean’s Eleven with a mini-cooper. A team of bank robbers including Marky Mark Wahlberg, Jason Statham, and Donald Sutherland head from Venice to L.A. in search of the gold they lost when one of their old team members betrayed them. They team up with Charlize Theron and Seth Green to exact revenge and reclaim their fortune. Car chases and action scenes abound. Just pure fun from start to finish.
LIAR LIAR (1997): Jim Carrey plays a slick lawyer named Fletcher Reede who is cursed by his son’s birthday wish into telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth for twenty-four hours. As you can imagine, this makes for some uncomfortable moments for Fletcher, especially at work and with the various women in his life. The journey is a predictable one and Carrey hams it up as usual, but man what a fun ride.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995): Featuring an all-star cast including Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne and Benecio del Toro, this is probably the ultimate con artist movie. If you like twisty whodunits that’ll keep you guessing until the very end, check out this story of five con men who plan a revenge operation against the police, but then all start to realize they’re being targeted by a criminal mastermind named Keyser Soze. But who is Keyser Soze? Nobody knows for sure. They just know he means business.
What are your favorite movies with liars and con artists? Put them in the comments!
MY TURN! Paula picked a few of my favorites. Now You See Me and The Italian Job are both fantastic. I’ve seen Liar Liar enough times that I can recite the “You scratched my car” speech verbatim by heart. So, with those options already off the table, here are my picks (in no particular order).
DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988): Michael Caine and Steve Martin are both successful con men, convinced that they are the better of the pair. The rivalry ramps up to madness levels until they make a bet. Whoever can con $50,000 out of the American heiress that just walked into their lives is the best. Both men bring their A game to the table and may the best man win. It’s quirky and funny and has the perfect ending.
OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001): This all star cast (including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Andy Garcia) is a band of con men trying to rob not one, not two, but three casinos. Danny Ocean assembles and leads the crew through the con, with one hell of a payout. But not everything can go according to plan and soon they are working out kinks and finding loopholes to slip through to make it work out. I love the whole trilogy, but this one is my favorite.
FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986): Ferris Bueller knew as soon as soon as he woke up this morning that today would be too good a day to waste away in a classroom. After a very elaborate lie to convince his parents he as too sick to attend school, Ferris spends the rest of the day out with his best friend and his girlfriend, conning their way into high class restaurants and avoiding the clutches of their high school principal. When I think “lying/liar movies,” Ferris Bueller wouldn’t immediately jump to mind, but Paula’s use of Liar Liar had me thinking outside the box. Regardless, this movie is fun from start to finish, reminding everyone that sometimes, you just need to take a day off and enjoy life a little!
ACCEPTED (2006): When Bartleby Gaines is rejected by every single college he applied to, he takes matters into his own hands and creates his own school. His parents won’t accept him being rejected from everyone and simply not going. So Bartleby, the master of spin, has a computer genius buddy create a website and a letterhead and write him an acceptance letter. The problem? Sherman (the computer wiz) made the website a little too realistic and soon they have a school full of rejects looking for a place to live for the next four years of their lives. Soon, Bartleby has rented a property and set up an entire fake school and when the education officials start sniffing around, Bartleby better think quick or he will be in a world of trouble.
THE PERFECT SCORE (2004): Before Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson became superheroes, they were just a few high school kids with their futures riding on a stupid standardized test score. Along with four other students, Kyle (Evans) and Francesca (Johansson) decide to take their future into their own hands and steal the answers the to SATs. This sassy heist film packs quite a punch, reminding us to take the path in life that we want, not the one that everyone else wants for us. Kyle actually reminds me a bit of Liars, Inc star Max, with the normal guy feel to his character.
That’s all for me! Like Paula said, let us know what your favorites our in the comments!
TITLE: Liars, Inc
AUTHOR: Paula Stokes
PUBLICATION DATE: March 25, 2015
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
PAGES: 368 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC / ARC
SOURCE: Publisher via Edelweiss / Won from Street Team Contest
RATING: 5 bows
BUY LINKS: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | IndieBound
For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV’s How to Get Away with Murder.
Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?
When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.
Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called “Captivating to the very end,” Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.
Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. She’s the author of THE ART OF LAINEY, INFINITE REPEAT, LIARS INC., and several other forthcoming YA novels. When she’s not writing, she’s kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. Paula loves interacting with readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.
Contact Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Liars Inc Website | Liars Inc GoodReads
Bows & Bullets Reviews 