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Archive for 2013

Insidious Chapter Two, directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson is the continuation of a story about an entity that has crossed over into our world,as it haunts and terrorizes a family.
I’ve already read some reviews about the movie that basically give the movie a bad review,and I understand that everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to that.
From a writers’ perspective, I appreciate every written component that was put into the story. The whole idea was interesting and complex.
The movie picks up where the first one ends, after Josh brings his son back from the astral dimension of the Further.
As the family tries to settle back into a normal life and deal with the death of their paranormal researcher friend Lin, Josh soon realizes that he is still stuck in the Further and the spirit of a man with a disturbing past has inhibited his body in the realm of reality.
I won’t giveaway any more spoilers, but I will say that the movie wasn’t as scary as it could have been, and the effects were lacking in some areas. As for the writing and the overall storyline, it was captivating and drew me into the story completely. You have to see the first movie in order to follow the second, and in order to understand the second, you must have an appreciating for good writing.
I give this movie 3.5 stars
My next horror review will be Carrie, coming out Oct 18th.

Have a good fright!
L.L.
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Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and even though it’s not official yet, I’m already in the mood to watch some awesome horror flicks.
My first horror review of the season is Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D. It was released early January of this year, but I just got around to seeing it this past weekend.
Directed by John Luessenhop and starring (The Lightening Thief’s Alexandra Daddairo) this horror continues the saga of masked murderer Leatherface.
The film picks up right after the 70’s original. After a girl reports that a masked man killed her friends, a group of townspeople torch the home of the Sawyers, in hopes of getting rid of the evil within the family.
Years after the horrific incident, a girl learns that she has inherited a home in Texas. She travels to the southern state with a group of her friends and before they can settle in, the bodies began to drop. She quickly learns that she is a survivor of the brutal town massacre and that she is directly connected to the family that was murdered.
The roles reverse for her, once she and her newly discovered cousin Jed becomes a target for the town to get rid of. Heather and Leatherface aka Jed team up in the name of family to survive the wrath of the town.
I thought this movie was pretty good. The death scenes could have been bloodier, but the overall storyline was interesting. Its a great start to a screaming horror season! Fans can check this out on Demand. I give this movie 3 stars.
Coming next week, Insidious Chapter 2 review.

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The final episode for TrueBlood’s season 6 just ended, and I must say that I do have mixed feelings about it.
In the beginning of the season, Warlow appeared to be a bigger threat than the so called “Billith” and ended with not being that big of a deal. There was no real battle between Warlow and Sookie like I expected and like the show was building up to. He didn’t put up much of a fight. I actually thought that Bill’s transformation was solely intended to battle Warlow.
The writers didn’t conceptualize that Warlow storyline well.
After Jason kills him, the daywalking vampires return to normal (ERIC IS HIGH ON A MOUNTIAN, AND SUDDENLY BURNS IN THE SUN!!) now Bon Temps is completely different, and that is the last we see of Eric.
Six months later,

Sam is mayor, Arlene owns the bar that is no longer Merlotte’s, Sookie is with Alcide and there is a strange concept introduced where every human should have a vamp and vice versa.
While the town is having a party to further discuss the idea, a band of hybrid vampires head in the direction of the bar and the episode ends.

This new threat seems interesting and I definitely can’t wait to see what is to come, but I can’t help but feel that they wrote the episode as if it was going to be the last. If it ended there, there wouldn’t be too much else to say.
Tara’s storyline has closure, Terry is dead and burried, Jason is with a vamp,
Arlene has moved on, Jess tried to apologize to Andy,and Sookie seems happy and in a normal relationship.

I’m happy that Bill is back to normal and part of me wanted him and Sookie back together.
I can’t see Sam as a family man and the mayor of the town. It seems like it doesn’t fit.
I just don’t know what to say. For the most part the episode was ok, but seemed very disjointed. I think there were too many changes too fast and fans didn’t have time to process it all. This ending would have been better for a series finale.
Still shocked
L.L.

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My book tour for my angel vampire fantasy novel Swept into the Darkness: Chronicles of the Celestial book one, starts Monday August 5. Hosted by Promotional Book Tours, the tour will consist of several stops across the internet. I will be featured on blogs, have reviews of my book, and also be interviewed and guest posting throughout the tour. I am giving away an awesome prize, so stop by during my tour and enter the contest to win.
Links are included on the Promotional Book Tours web site, under Swept into the Darkness. Also I will post the link to my tour site every day of my tour.
I look forward to you all participating!
L.L

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What can I say? In the beginning I wasn’t a fan of the Showtime hit drama series Dexter, but the moment I saw the first 5 minutes of season 1, episode 1, I was hooked.
Dexter Morgan played by the talented and creative Michael C. Hall tells the story about a Miami Metro Homicide Blood Spatter Analyst, that just so happens to be a notorious serial killer.
This has truly been the summer of Dexter for me and my husband as we are now caught up on the series, thanks to On Demand.
What can I say? Dexter has been through a lot since he was 3, witnessing his mother’s murder, started his killing rampage at a very young age.
Clearly disturbed, he manages to lead somewhat of a normal life in the day, and once night falls his “Dark Passenger” lives vicariously though him as he kills only people that meet the criteria of his code.
What is it about Dexter that is so darn appealing? As I watch the final season?, I just can’t answer that in one word, but there is something about him that is very likable, and intriguing. He is honest with himself, and is fully aware that is he is a “monster,” but I think for me, it is his humor, mysteriousness, and quirky behavior that draws me into him as a character.
Based on the bestselling book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, I started reading the first book and found myself comparing the book to the show. It’s nice to know that the writers at Showtime are pretty much staying true to the author Jeff Lindsey’s work.
The show is a masterpiece and I can’t believe this may be the final season.
Happy Viewing
L.L.

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The New Line Cinema production, The Conjuring directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga was one of the best horror films I’ve seen this year.
The movie follows husband and wife paranorormal research team Ed and Loraine Warren.
Based on true events that happened in the early 70’s, the story is about a family that moves into a new home, that is haunted. As soon as they get settled in, the paranormal activity begins. The mother(Carolyn Perron) played by Lili Taylor and their young daughter seem to clearly be targets for the haunting entity. The activity is so traumatic that Perron quickly seeks the help of the Warrens. The Warrens set up an investigation in the home to present proof to the Vatican that the house is in need of an exorcism. The team learns that the house has a horrible history and are concerned for the survival of the family.
Ed is a demonologist and his wife Lorraine is a clairvoyant. Together they use their gifts to battle the entity that eventually possesses the mother Carolyn.
Wan and his team did a great job with authentically creating the time period. The costumes and overall set design including the actors character portrayals was definitely believable.
The story was well written and special effects were tastefully done and added to the telling of the haunting story. Evil Dead remake was the last movie that made me scream. If you are looking for a great horror movie to scare the s*** out of you, than The Conjuring is your movie. This is a must must see and I give it 5 stars. Well done New Line.
Happy Viewing
L.L.
Note: I’d love to see a sequel for this film. It has great potential to begin a new franchise.

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My debut angel vampire fantasy novel, Swept into the Darkness: Chronicles of the Celestial book one was re-published June 2013. The book is available for purchase in eBook and paperback at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
There is an upcoming book tour scheduled, beginning August 5th that will run for two weeks. The tour will be hosted by Promotional Book Tours. The tour prize is a 25.00 Amazon gift card. In the meantime there is a sumner promotional giveaway going on, hosted by goodreads. The promotion ends Sept 22, 2013, so head over to my book page and enter today to be a potential winner of a signed paperback.
Good Luck and happy reading.
L.L.

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The Paramount Pictures production World War Z directed by Marc Forster, and starring Brad Pitt was not the zombie horror flick I thought it would be.
The film opens like most zombie films do, with people living their ordinary lives and going though with their daily routines.
As a family starts their day with preparing to go to school and work, everything is disrupted as a sudden unknown emergency sweeps the area of downtown Philadelphia.
Survival mode quickly settles over Gerry Lane(Brad Pitt) as he struggles to keep his family safe from the threat.
As an employee at the U.N., he is soon recruited by government officials to try and track down and identify the origin of the “So called zombie plague”.
Lane sets out on a global quest to learn the answers about what’s happening.

World War Z was based on a book by Max Brown(which I haven’t read yet) but according to what I already know about the book, the film is very different.
I thought the film was interesting, and had quite a few scenes that were intense, and very engaging. This is of course not the classic zombie flick, but the concept of killing them was traditional. The origin of where they come from is unknown, in the movie (they mention rabies’) and the zombies seem to be much more amplified than the “rage” filled 28 Days Later zombie. There wasn’t much zombie killing and gore like I like because I think they were just too darn fast, one of the major pit falls the movie has. The solution they came up with at the WHO was innovative and creative.
The effects were entertaining and the zombie makeup was awesome. I really appreciated the hard work and talent that went into that aspect of the film.
It’s hard to not compare the movie with other zombie films. I clearly understood what the writers and director was trying to go for but I don’t think their interpretation came off well. The last really good Zombie movie I saw was Dawn of the Dead.
I’m a big fan of Brad Pitt’s so I gave this movie 3 stars for overall good entertainment.
Enjoy L.L.

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SITD cover The drive to work was always a trip of contemplations. Thinking about my parents burned bright on my mind. It’s never easy to survive tragedy and bounce back into the swing of everyday life. I never really paid attention to the low volume radio but the extra noise kept me company. I used to love waking up early to get my day started but lately I wasn’t much of a morning person. I lost my father in an accident, and my mother couldn’t handle the loss. She had a nervous breakdown and is in a mental hospital, so really I lost both parents in one awful moment. It’s a challenge for me to get up and go on with my life like nothing has happened. Just getting out of bed sometimes makes me feel like I am betraying my parents.

Ever since the car accident I have excruciating headaches. I went into the kitchen and pulled out the drawer that my medication was in. At the moment I was taking prescription pain killers, sleeping pills, and sometimes anti-depressants. I hadn’t needed to take those pills in a long time. I tried to deter the pain from gaining force. If it didn’t, I was going to have to cancel my date with Christine and go straight to bed. The headaches are almost blinding at times, and literally feel like a hammer is banging inside of my brain. Every time I think about the trip I am reminded of the worst day of my life.

I had just gotten back from a weekend ski trip in Aspen with some girlfriends, including Christine. It was mid-winter and my flight was delayed for several hours due to a terrible snow storm that hit the area. My dad, a surgeon at Milford General Hospital picked me up from the airport after a thirty-hour shift; the staff was low because of the storm so he decided to stick around to help out as much as he could. We were both pretty tired but it never occurred to me that dad was not in any kind of shape to drive. It was 4:45 on a Thursday morning, and it was dark and freezing cold. Sleet came down pretty hard, and made the roads very slick. It looked like dad was doing fine, and I always felt safe when he was behind the wheel. Mom was waiting for us with hot cocoa and I was so excited to see her and tell her about my trip.
The ride was long and I dozed off a few times. I woke abruptly to the sound of skidding tires and a sudden swerving motion. Dad’s head was slumped down over the steering wheel, his glasses were crooked and his eyes were closed.
“Dad! Dad! Wake up!” I yelled. I yanked off my seatbelt to shake him with force. The car was spinning out of control. His head bobbed up and down and his eyes lazily open and closed. I grabbed the steering wheel and tried to scoot over as close as I could towards him and reach for the break with my foot. The car was going too fast and bumped and swayed through the light traffic. The car sped up and then everything went black.

I’d never been a “normal” person. Ever since I was a child I’d had experiences that were hard to explain. For example, I frequently had “flashes” that showed me glimpses of the future. I also remember times when a small light would emerge from my fingers, and I was able to move things using the light. Sometimes I saw things in my visions as well, like shadows and creatures. I could also see an aura around people—usually either a bright blue color or a muddled gray. Sometimes I’d seen a red aura, which for some reason really scared me. I’d tried to ignore these abilities, and there were times when I refused to admit that strange things were happening…

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The Man of Steel directed by Zack Snyder was a Sci Fi thrill ride that will take you on a massive adventure between worlds.

Starring Henry Cavill, as Superman aka Kal-El. Henry is best known as the Tudors supporting actor and King Henry’s right hand man Charles Brandon.

The two and a half hour movie, features an all star cast in some of the most important roles the story has.
The movie opens with a spectacular scene as Jor-El played by Russell Crow and his wife Laura have a baby. As they quickly settle into parenthood, their happiness does not last long as they face the fate of a dying Krypton.
Jor-El meets with the leaders of the Council and tries to find out what they can do to save their people from extinction. The meeting is interrupted by General Zod played by Michael Shannon as he murders members of the Council and Jor-El in an effort to take over as the leader. He and his crew are captured and banished from the planet. Before Zod’s departure, he vows that he will find Kal as he witnesses Laura sending him to safety in an escape pod.
The secret to Krypton’s survival is within the genetic make up of Kal-El.
The planet explodes and with that no one survives.
As Kal adjusts to life on Planet Earth.
The movie then picks up with Clark as an adult, as he moves from one odd job to the next searching for his place in the world.
A strange and supernatural encounter in the Artic with a journalist sets off a chain of events that changes everything for the entire world.

I don’t want to give everything away but the storyline was indeed very complex and well thought out. The film was hard core Sci FI and not what you’d expect from a Superman movie.
The world created for the film was fitting for the story and the cast choices perfectly pulled everything together. My only concern with casting was Amy Adams as Lois. She was not a good choice. The effects were amazing and pulled you right into the adventure. I give this movie 5 Stars.

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