Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Amazon author’

Jurassic World “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Jurassic World

Jurassic World directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard is the Blockbuster hit of summer 2015! The action adventure Sci-Fi thriller takes place twenty-two years after things went awry at the island of Isla Nublar.  Now it is not just a park, but a full functioning adventure theme park like Disney World, which is reflective of John Hammond’s original vision from the 90’s. This island has a long list of dinosaurs and would not be complete without the genetically modified mutant dinosaur. Yes I said mutant because a lot of them are not purebred, but completely engineered with the DNA of other dinosaurs and animals like frogs and fish.

Claire a strong career driven woman played by Howard runs the massive island with an iron fist. She is soon forced to take on the role of responsible caregiver, when her sister sends her two boys on a vacation to the theme park for some much needed family time. Gray and Zach—Claire’s nephews arrive to find out that their family vacation with their aunt is now just a play-date for two. Claire continues to run things and trusts her assistant with the care of her nephews. The two quickly ditch their chaperone and start to tour the island by themselves.

Meanwhile Owen played by Pratt—an ex-military man and animal specialist works at the park training Raptors. He demonstrates his progress to some of the leading experts on the island and Claire requests his assistance before she opens a new exhibit at the park. She shows him the place where a new dinosaur will be revealed. Owen expresses his initial concerns when he finds some potential weak spots in the habitat containment unit.

A small incident occurs when some of the dinosaurs escape their habitat. Claire believes that she has everything under control, but it is just the beginning of a chain of events that eventually leads to the escape of one of the most dangerous creatures that man has ever encountered.

The playdate for two quickly transitions into a journey of survival as they along with Claire and Owen fight to survive the earthly beasts that the island has to offer.

What can I say? This movie was just great. I’m still thinking about it and I saw it Saturday night. Everything about this movie was awesome. The storyline, character portrayal and development, score and sound, and the special effects were amazing. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this movie ever since I found out that they were doing a Jurassic World. I saw it in 3D which enhanced the movie experience for me. Chris Pratt did a wonderful job with his character and he made me feel that old school excitement for cinema that only classic Harrison Ford can channel. The director Colin Trevorrow’s vison moved me as he showcased his own unique abilities while conjuring some of Spielberg’s inspiration. This movie is worth seeing a second time. Just thinking about it makes me smile which you will too, once you’re in your seat.

I gave this movie 5 stars. If I could give more I would.

L.L         

Read Full Post »

Poltergeist 2015 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Poltergeist-poster

Poltergeist starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Gil Kenan and produced by Sam Raimi was a horror movie remake that disappointed me in many ways. The movie was supposed to be a reboot of the haunted house classic Steven Spielberg film, starring JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson, but I just couldn’t get over how badly it was done. There was nothing authentic about this film, and the writers did nothing but add some overrated special effects and overuse the original script. The names of the characters were changed for some reason, and I found that the actor’s performances were weak. The mood of the film was disappointingly mellow, and for me there was no real fear that the characters displayed.  For this to have had Sam Raimi’s name behind it, I was expecting so much more. I think that the film could have been done so much better if Sam Raimi would have had complete creative control in addition to the writing. The casting and storytelling was just all wrong, and I hope that the next horror I see will make up for this one.  The only two positive things I have to say was that the scene where we were able to see how the other realm or alternate dimension looked was good, even though I also think that the drone going into that realm was out of place. Technology should be dead in this this case. (I believe that was Raimi’s influence, good idea but it just wasn’t delivered creativity.) I also thought the scene with the family trying to leave the house was good. They are sitting in their SUV and are suddenly dragged back in through the garage as the house becomes consumed by the portal. That was an interesting add on to the movie. Throughout the movie I kept calling the little girl “Carol Anne and was comparing the remake with the original. It was so hard not to. The ghost hunter Carrigan Burke played by Jared Harris didn’t do much for me, but prove that the writers tried too hard with making the movie fit into the modern world. The paranormal research team was horrible, and at this point I can’t write anymore bad things about this movie. Wait, yes I can, it was in 3D which was an excuse for theaters to charge more money than necessary. It didn’t add any depth to the movie at all, just a dent in my purse. Not worth seeing it, but if you must as a fan of horror, wait until it’s out on cable and you have nothing else better to do.

I gave this movie two stars just because of the two scenes I liked and because I like Sam Raimi.

L.L

Read Full Post »

The Avengers: Age of Ultron “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Avengers AU poster

The Avengers: Age of Ultron directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans continues the story of the Marvel comic group of hero’s, as they continue their fight to save the earth from the threat of darkness.

The films opens with an action packed scene as the Avengers battle a group of terrorists in Europe. New enemies are introduced as the Avengers search for Loki’s stolen scepter, which has a powerful stone inside it. They race to get the scepter back into the right hands.

Once they retrieve the scepter Tony Stark and Bruce Banner waste no time with trying to create something that can help keep the peace and the scepter protected. Tony uses his engineering talents to create a form of artificial intelligence with the hopes of it being the answer to all their problems, but as soon as the AI begins to take it’s form, the stages of evolution begin to take place and the entity that was designed to help turns into something much more sinister, and out of that Ulton is born.

In the process Tony has the program set where Jarvis has control over the entity, but Jarvis is quickly overpowered and Ultron destroys Jarvis.

The team bands together to battle the constantly evolving Ultron. He does everything in his power to break the bond and trust the Avengers share including using two powerful mutants Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, (which were created by William Stryker, the same man that created Wolverine) against them. The group retreats when they are overpowered and they seek refuge at Hawkeye’s home with his wife and children as they begin to regroup.

Captain America comes up with a battle plan, and each one the Avengers uses their strengths to battle Ultron. Ultron is thirsty for more power as he creates a group of autobots, to help destroy the Avengers. In the meantime Ulton possesses one of Tony Stark’s scientists and forces her make him a more sustainable body. In the process he becomes more powerful. Eventually Scarlet Witch and Quick Silver realize that Ultron plans to destroy all the humans on the planet and take over the world with his new artificial intelligent colleagues. They go against his plan and join forces with the Avengers to help save the people of earth.

Stark comes up with a plan to recreate a manifestation of Jarvis using the stone from Loki’s scepter. The manifestation of Jarvis has now altered into Vison. A powerful being that has a multitude of abilities. The will of the Avengers is strong as they all join forces to defeat Ultron.

Overall The Avengers: Age of Ulton was an awesome movie. The story was well written and gave each of the characters an opportunity to shine in an appropriate manner. Sometimes when movies have an all-star cast, the story can get lost in the process and the actors get swallowed whole, but this is not the case with the Avengers sequel. They each had good on screen chemistry and the new characters added to the adventure. The special effects were remarkable and captivating. The battle scenes took you to another realm and made you feel like you were in the adventure.

Now we know that there is a bigger story behind the Avengers and that all the Marvel Superhero movies are connected. In the end we see Thanos make another appearance saying “I will just have to do it my myself.” As he reaches for a glove with five holes in it. I don’t know too much about the bigger story, but I do know that the Infinity stone that was in Loki’s scepter is connected to the infinity stone in the Guardians of Galaxy. More stones will appear throughout the Marvel Superhero film world, which will lead to the Infinity Wars in the distant future.

This movie is a must see, which will kick off the season of Summer Blockbusters. I gave this movie 5 stars

L.L

Read Full Post »

General Hospital Spotlight

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

billy miller jason

General Hospital spotlight
Sometimes the GH storylines start to fizzle out for me. This whole thing with Michael and Sonny has gone too far. I can’t believe that Michael would go to any lengths to keep Avery away from Sonny. Despite everything Michael has had a good life and should not still be hungry for revenge. Now that Luke is an escaped mental patient, I think that he is going to kidnap Avery. Once that happens, the court will determine that Michael is not fit to care for her. Now that we know that Luke has a split personality disorder, I am not sure where they are going to take his storyline. I think Lulu should call Laura just to tell her what is going on. This will soon lead to another Spencer adventure, which will hopefully end well.

Ava came back from the dead just to find out that she is dying from Cancer. I really hope that Maura West is not leaving the show. I’ve really grown to love her character and I love the fact that she comes with so much excitement.

I wasn’t too happy to see Spaneli when I found out that he was trying to break up Maxie and Nathan, but now that he has possibly recognized Jake as Jason, he may actually be the one to solve the case. I don’t think that he will let the whole thing rest. When Sam does find out the truth, it will not be easy for her to leave Patrick and pick up the pieces of her marriage. I think they will realize that they are two totally different people and live lives that no longer include one another.

I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen to Jordan now that Sonny and Julian are a war and Sean’s suspicions of her have increased. I think that she is going to get shot and will spill the beans to Sean and TJ when she is recovering at GH. I like the sexual tension between Sloan and Anna. I like their on screen chemistry, but I still like Duke and Anna together. I believe that Sloan is not who he says he is, and that his real identity will come to light soon. I am curious to find out why Sloan wants Jake to be undercover.
Until Next Time
L.L.

Read Full Post »

General Hospital Spotlight

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

luke-spencer-photo

General Hospital spotlight

The heat is on in Port Charles as the Fake Luke doges another bullet in getting his real identity discovered. His deceitful ways go a long way, and his dramatic production at the Haunted Star could have almost been a confession. Fluke really thought that Dante was going to go up in flames along with the old house, but he was wrong. I just hope that when he leaves the party he doesn’t run into Nathan and Dante leaving the property. Now that Nathan just found Dante, Dante will spill the beans but hopefully they will make it to GH before anything or anyone stops them.

Within the next few minutes the Haunted Star is expected to go up in smoke, but at this point I don’t think that anyone will be able to stop it. Jake Doe is in the process of being interrogated by Sam, which will lead her into a bigger hole, because he does not remember anything. The police department will not be any help to her because the new commissioner is also under Helena’s control. It is going to take Sam a long time to really find out everything about Jake.

Sonny, Julian, and Ava are all in hot water as they battle with Carlos and Johnny. I hope that Sonny kills Johnny, but once Sonny does take the first shot, Carlos will give up, and try to convince Julian and Ava that he wants back in with them.

Franco left Ava, Julian and Sonny, and is on his way to save Nina from Heather, but at this point I think Nina deserves whatever Heather is planning to do to her. Franco will probably shoot Heather, and tell Nina that he loves her. I am waiting for them to finally share a romantic moment. I hope this is the last we see of Heather. I am tired of her pointless story lines.

As for Sonny and his new crew, I really hope that they can make it to the Haunted Star to save everyone, but since Johnny is in their way, I don’t think they will make it.
I am excited to see how things turn out!
L.L

Read Full Post »

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The hobbit Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Martian Freeman and Ian McKellen is the last installment of The Hobbit series. The story picks up where The Desolation of Smaug leaves off as Thorin and the dwarves make an attempt to reclaim their mountain home.

The dragon Smaug retreats from the mountain in an effort to wreak havoc upon the people of Laketown. Determined to save his home and his family Bard takes matters into his own hands along with his young son to defeat the dragon. While the people of Laketown seek refuge and the remaining dwarves along with Tauriel try to escape the burning town, Bard defeats Smaug with a single shot from a steel spear.

Bard reunites with his family and the people of Laketown make their way to the Lonely Mountain in order to find a new home. Meanwhile Thorin settles into being a king, but is possessed by the power of his gold. Bard tries to make him share some of his gold in exchange for their alliance so that his people can start to rebuild their lives, but Thorin refuses. Thorin is still in search of the Arkenstone and makes his fellow dwarves look for it. Bilbo finds the stone but keeps it a secret from Thorin with the belief that he will lose himself even more once he has the stone.

Now that the dragon Smaug is dead, he is no longer a threat, and with Thorin not in his right mind, the neighboring races of Middle Earth make their way to the Lonely Mountain to take it and the riches inside.

The armies march to the mountain and Bilbo makes a deal to trade the Arkenstone to the Elvin king Thranduil in hopes that Thorin will fight to defend his lands. The plan backfires and Bilbo is back where he started as he tries to save Thorin from himself. Thorin eventually finds the strength to overcome his greed and starts to embrace the honorable man that he truly is.

The battle of good and evil is on as the forces of darkness try to overcome good, but in the end goodness prevails with a cost. Thorin and the Orc general fight to the death, while Kili dies trying to protect his unclaimed love—Tauriel. Bilbo says his goodbye’s as he makes his way back to The Shire with a very powerful ring that he believes is kept a secret.

The Battle of the Five Armies was a great movie. Jackson did a great job with telling the story, and putting the pieces together and setting the stage for what’s to come in The Lord of The Rings. Even though fans a very familiar with the characters old and new alike, it was nice to see how they each were developed and took shape. Throughout the entire Hobbit series, I made mental notes and referred back to events that occurred in The Lord of the Rings. I really liked how Gandalf, Saruman, and Galadriel’s involvement in the story really evolved. I even appreciated Legolas’ back story, when it came to how he became a loner in the first LOTR film.

The story was very cohesive and well done. The special effects and Score did not disappoint and the overall tone of the film has a very enthusiastic vibe. It’s hard to say goodbye to a story that has impacted fans on such a personal level. The energy behind this project is really historically and creativity epic and I don’t think that any other movie series could ever top it. The cast was wonderful, the visual representation opened up all the senses of imagination and stimulated parts of yourself that only a creative imagination can dream up.

I gave the Hobbit 5 stars and am looking forward to seeing the entire series in order from beginning to end.
L.L.

Read Full Post »

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on December 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

General Hospital Spotlight!

luke-spencer-photo

The last few weeks on GH have been absolutely explosive. Let’s start with Sonny and the truth about AJ’s murder. The truth is out about Sonny’s involvement with AJ’s murder and now he is in jail awaiting trail. Michael has completely disowned Sonny and Carly and has officially taken the Quartermain name. Interestingly enough an old mob rival Anthony Zacara makes an appearance in Pentenville and makes Sonny an offer. Back in PC Carlos Rivera finds Julian and tells him about a deal that could change their lives. Julian struggles to make the right decision as Alexis and his love for her still pierces his mind. He eventually choose s to take the deal and with that he is back on the streets of PC and back with his mob affiliation.

Rick Lancing’s name is now back in PC conversation as Anna comes clean to Alexis about the truth regarding his ” so-called ” death. Anna discovers that Rick is no longer in hiding but missing, and this is where my Fluke Luke suspicions come in.

We all know that there are still two Luke’s, but were three. Fazon was impersonating Luke, to create a diversion for Helena’s schemes and now that Fazon is back on the streets, another imposter is at the Quartermain mansion trying to put the pieces together to Luke’s life. The real Luke is locked in the basement of the mansion and doesn’t know if he even has a future anymore.

How long are the writers going to keep this Fluke Luke up? To be honest I’m getting tired of FL and the whole storyline, but what is interesting about it is that I thought the Fluke Luke could be Rick Lansing and that he was being blackmailed by Helena and did not have a choice in the matter. Now I know that is not true because Carlos has Rick locked in a trunk of a car awaiting Sonny’s decision on turning over his territory to Anthony Zarcara. I also think that Helena is behind the mob alliance and wants control over the families. Both story lines are related.

Ava’s baby was finally found and now that crazy Nina and Franco are in jail pending kidnapping charges, I hope Nina will get what she deserves. Since I still like Franco, I do hope that the charges will be dropped. Ava is also in jail waiting to see her fate as she faces the consequences of Connie’s murder.

I thought that it was strange that Nathan asked Alexis to represent Nina since Sam was on her list and Nina did everything to destroy Sam and Silas. And now Nina wants Alexis to represent Franco. I think that Alexis will play the insanity card when it comes to Nina’s defense and that is how she will walk away from the kidnapping charges. Franco on the other hand, I’m not sure but I do think that he will get off too. I’m curious to see how Ava and Sonny will get out of what they did. I sill don’t have any answers on Maurice’s contract and whether or not he will return for 2015.
I guess we will just have to watch and see how things play out.

Happy Reading
L.L

Read Full Post »

The Walking Dead Season 5 Mid Season Finale Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

walking dead season 5 poster

The Walking Dead season five mid-season finale left me hungry for more.

As we all know last night’s episode of the Walking Dead left fans heartbroken as we saw Beth Greene meet her end.

The episode displayed four view points, Rick’s hospital venture, Michone’s and Gabriel’s church mishap, Beth’s struggle to make sense of Dawn’s madness, and Abraham’s will to bounce back.

At the church Gabriel leaves by exiting under the floor boards in his office. He ventures off to the school where Gareth and his band of psycho’s held Bob captive. He see’s Bob’s cooked leg and then suddenly see’s a group of Walkers inside the school. They burst out in hopes of having Gabriel for a meal. The Walkers follow him straight to the church. He begs for Michone and Carl to let him in. The church is over run within minutes as Michone tries to fight them to the best of her ability, with baby Judith on her back. Carl is worried and asks Michone “where do we go?” as the group of Walkers are locked inside their safe haven.

Abraham appears in the fire truck, along with Maggie, Glen, Rosita and Eugene. They wipe out the Walkers and Michone tells Maggie that Beth is alive and that Rick and the others went to get her.
Meanwhile Back and the hospital Beth gains some new information about the leader Dawn. Rick and Daryl make a plan to make an exchange for the two cops for Beth and Carol. Rick kills one of them in the process and makes an attempt to get Beth and Carol without any more bloodshed.

Beth and Carol get ready. The exchange happens in the hallway of the hospital as Rick and Daryl’s reunion with Beth is brief. Dawn makes a statement to Rick about Noah belonging to her. Beth and the others object to him going back with Dawn, and Dawn states that he wasn’t part of the “deal.” Beth steps up to Dawn and expresses how she feels about her, then stabs her in the upper chest with a pair of scissors that she kept hidden in her arm cast. Dawn’s gun goes off, shooting Beth in the head. Daryl automatically shoots Dawn and Rick’s group is ready for war. One of Dawn’s people stops it before things get worse and says, “it’s over, no more people have to die.”

Riddled with grief, Rick and the group leave the hospital, as they meet Maggie and the others. Maggie’s hope is shattered when she see’s Daryl carrying Beth’s body out. She falls to ground unable to contain herself.

The episode had a lot going on, and I felt that a major character’s death during the mid season finale is getting to be a little predictable. As a fan of the books, I know Kirkman’s world, and I know that major character’s die all the time, but the writing just followed what happened to Hershel last season. I really wanted to see Maggie be reunited with her sister. I have a feeling that with Beth’s death, this will send Maggie off the deep end. At one point in the books, she tries to hang herself from a tree. So I can’t wait to see what the next part of this season has to offer.

I think that Beth made a bad move, trying to stab Dawn, and why wouldn’t she go straight for her throat? I don’t understand that part.

What I also don’t understand is why was Gabriel so stupid? Why would he go out on his own when he has people protecting him. I hate his character on the show. He is more likable in the books. If you hate that you survived, then just let the Walkers eat you and save people the trouble.

My only complaint about the show is that they waste too much time on developing back stories for insignificant characters, and not enough time developing Rick’s story even more. The books really focus on Rick and Carl, and the other characters have a nice balanced involvement. Who cares about Dawn and that group. They really got too much camera time. I’d rather want to know more about Eugene, than Dawn.

I know that Rick and everyone else has a hard time trusting people, so why would he extend another invitation to the hospital crew like he did for the Woodbury people? His decision to let the Terminus people go, bit him in the ass. I wouldn’t trust any other outsiders now.

The special effects were great as usual, I loved seeing the melted Walkers in the hospital courtyard. Visually the effects team always gives us something new and exciting to see. Very creative and unique.
Overall good show WD, looking forward to February!!!
L.L.

Read Full Post »

Fall Inspiration

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on September 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

As the fall season kicks off, and I’ve gotten back into the swing of being back at work, my creativity and inspiration has been flowing. Even though the summer is a time of relaxation. I feel that the fall season has a casual aura. It’s a time when mood plays an important role in how my creativity is expressed. I love the chilly, windy, rainy evenings, as I’m curled up on the sofa covered with a blanket, a notebook and a steaming cup of Red Zinger tea. My writing process has been pretty slow, but I can say that it has been productive. I’m working on finalizing the second book in my series Dark Betrayal before it is released on paperback. The release of the Kindle version is expected out early October. I’ve been simultaneously working on typing the third book Dark Revenge. That book is in the very early stages, so it is not expected to be released until early summer 2015. Plans for my fall book tour will be announced as soon as they develop.
Happy reading!
L.L.

Read Full Post »

General Hospital Spotlight

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , on September 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The changing of the seasons got the best of me, so I know that it has been a while since I’ve written a General Hospital Spotlight.

The intensity has grown when it comes to many of the storylines and there has never been a dull moment. I think that Ava’s baby is really on borrowed time, and no matter what precautions Sonny takes to protect him or her, in the end it will not matter. Jorden saves her once again and once again Ava is out of the woods. Once Port Charles realizes that Jason Morgan is alive,and that there were many forces that contributed to his condition, things will get worse before they get better for him. The producers are still on edge as far as revealiving the new Jason so I think that there will still be a long time before his character gets some real face time. They are trying too hard to avoid it, and it looks obvious to the fans that the production still doesn’t have a clear vision with Jason. I feel the same way about Robin. I feel that her character is broken. A quote she said on yesterdays episode. The Cassidine’s are pointless and I am so tired of seeing Helena come back from the dead. If she is shot in head like a Zombie then there is no coming back. LOL.
I’m so excited about Carly and Franco’s engagement and even more excited about his true plans for this Halloween. Wedding, which in my opinion will not happen. My prediction is: he is going to tell her at the alter that he knew about her infidelity, and confess to everyone that Sonny shot AJ then leave her there alone.
Lets see how the rest of the week plays out.
L.L.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »