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Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy author’

by LaTaeya Lane

Warning: Mild Spoilers

Knock at the Cabin, directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Dave Bautista, Johnathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, and Rupert Grint, tells the story of a family vacationing in a remote cabin when their trip turns into a deadly hostage situation.

The film opens with thrills and chills as we see a young Wen, portrayed by the talented Kristen Cui catching grasshoppers when suddenly a stranger approaches and attempts to befriend her. The child’s innocent nature is cautiously aware as she engages with the man. However, she is quickly alarmed by his intentions and retreats inside the cabin to tell her parents something is wrong.

The sound of a mysterious knock on the front door begins a chain of events that will change each character’s life.

Knock at the Cabin is a fascinating and thrilling film that will get the moviegoer to think about the fate of humanity and will challenge most people’s beliefs. Horror fans have seen elements of this type of movie before. The difference between this film and many others within the genre is that the definition and meaning of sacrifice are scarier than people realize. You can’t help but feel empathy and compassion for the family as they endure the brutality of their life-altering experience.

The Protagonists in the film were a good casting match. The chemistry they shared on-screen worked well and felt authentic. Kristen was the star of this film. She did a great job with her character portrayal and was a memorable presence on screen.

The Antagonists in the film were four individuals whose only connection was the event they set in motion. Their on-screen relationships and back story reflected their lack of connection. The lead antagonist, Lenard, portrayed by Dave Bautista, had several layers to his character. He had the most connection with Wen, as their interactions were powerful yet demanding.

The film concept created a space for deeper thinking and questioning the possibility of “what if.”

Overall, this film was thrilling and worth a trip to the movies.

I gave this movie 3 stars.

L.L.

Check out the trailer below:

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Writing with a purpose

Life has had its many challenges, so it’s been difficult for me to get back into the habit of blogging again. But I’m back and it feels good to get my words out (on paper, LoL). There have been and will be a lot of changes for me in the near future, which will all be positive. I’m moving in the right direction and will be able to put my writing back on the top of my list. In this post I will discuss writing with purpose and meaning.

People write in our society for so many reasons. They write for communication, entertainment, and to help us learn new things. Writers use words to express themselves and share parts of themselves that they would not necessarily share by speaking.  Writing in our world is the way we connect with others and how we are brought together in so many ways. The written word teaches us how to acknowledge each other’s differences, and teaches us about other, times,places, worlds, realms and dimensions.

I like to read a variety of genres, and it is important as a writer to write with meaning and purpose. When a writer writes with purpose they make a deeper connection with their readers. It doesn’t matter what genre you are reading. It is a writer’s job as a deliverer of communication to write in a way that makes the reader feel respected and viewed as a unique individual. Writing with purpose and the meaning behind the writing is a special bond that the writer and reader have between the two. It is that special human connection that links us among time and space.

Writing with meaning also is a way that defines who a writer is, and gives the writer a chance to express themselves in a way that makes them identify with others. Writing brings them in a world where the writers and the readers can be and do what ever it is that they want to be. It is the place where they can escape, share in an adventure of relive an event from the past. It is the place where they can fly into the future or save a damsel in distress. It is a place where you can be you any way or how you want to be.

Writing with meaning opens doors for both the reader and the writer and the relationship they share is honest and unbiased when they both stay true to who they are within their own world.

Stay True to Yourself,

L.L.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Movie Review”star-wars-

Star Wars: The Force Awakens directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Lucas Films has become a global phenomenon in this new age within our society. Fans new and old went to see the film, and as of now this movie has grossed over $1 Billion dollars at the box office since the opening a little over two weeks ago.

 

Starring the Beloved Harrison Ford as Han Solo, the struggle between good and evil continues thirty years after the destruction of the Galactic Empire, which led to the death of the cosmic villain Darth Vader. A new threat arises within the universe, and with the help of The First Order, it has the potential to end life and destroy worlds, but a new band of heroes along with the Resistance does everything in their power to stop the evil from taking control over the galaxy.

 

I must admit that I am a new fan to the franchise but that did not take away from me fulling experiencing what the film had to offer. The movie is filled with nonstop action and beautiful imagery. The story line was intriguing, it wasn’t too complicated, it had the basic “good vs evil”, and the “strong will survive” theme.

 

It was the presentation, delivery, and the appearance of old characters, including the introduction of new characters that made the movie so exciting to see. The film was in 3D which added to the experience. Without giving too much away, I will say that there were some unexpected plot twists and moments of “OMG why did they do that?” So let’s just say that the George R. R. Martian and Robert Kirkman kill craze has rubbed off on the Stars Wars franchise.

 

Overall, I thought the movie was great and it was nice to feel such good and exciting energy from fellow fans and moviegoers. There was clapping, cheering, everything you could imagine that would enhance your experience. I am so excited to see the other two films and wonder if they are filming all three simultaneously like Peter Jackson did with TLOTR. I gave Stars Wars: The Force awakens five stars . See it again if you can.

 

“May The Force Be With You”

L.L.

 

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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

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General Hospital Spotlight!

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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

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Godzilla_(2014)_poster

Godzilla starring Bryan Cranston,Aaron Taylor-Johnson,and Ken Watanabe,follows the story of nuclear scientists and the military as they discover,and battle a creature that unleashes a wrath of prehistoric proportions on a modern-day world.

The Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures duo outdid themselves in the apocalyptic action adventure.

Monsters, and Dinosaurs Oh My!!

After the accident and death of Joe Brody’s wife in a Japan Power plant,Brody sets off on a 15 year study where he learns that all the strange geological activity in Japan is actually being covered up and is something else entirely different.

With the discovery of strange prehistoric creatures,a chain reaction of events leads to humanity fighting for their world.

Once the terrestrial creatures are unleashed, they destroy everything in their path to mate with each other. As scientists learn that the two are communicating with another creature, the race begins as the military fights to save the world from destruction. Another creature surfaces to claim American territory. As Godzilla reeks havoc upon American soil, he is threatened by the two monstrous forces. Godzilla battles the two and defeats the creatures and claims the title King of the monsters.

The story line was engaging, and every scene was directed and delivered in way that kept the movie goer interested. The destructive scenes were exciting and there was a balance of special effects and sound that united all the elements of the story.

The movie had a unique tone to it that subtly paid homage to the original Godzilla. It was a remake that did the original great justice and enhanced the story further. There are talks that a Warner Bros sequel is in the works, which will make movie goers happy. This was a movie that technology embraced to the fullest but wasn’t over shadowed by it.
I gave this movie 5 stars! A must see for Memorial Day Weekend!
L.L

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Bert wonder poster

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Movie Review
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone directed by Don Scardino, known for directing many popular television shows including 30 Rock, stars Steve Carell and follows the story of a middle aged Las Vegas Magician as he struggles to remain one of the top magicians in Sin City.
Wonderstone and his partner/best friend Anton Marvelton played by Steve Buscemi have had an act based at Balleys hotel and Casino for over ten years. Stuck in their old school magician ways, their careers and friendship is put to the test when fellow magician and rival Steve Gray portrayed by Jim Carrey attempts to show the world a fresh new form of creating illusions.
The team of magicians try to keep up with the competition by creating a stunt that hopefully will boast ticket sales, But Burt and Anton soon part ways when the idea of the new stunt goes terribly wrong and Anton gets hurt.
Burt struggles to maintain the show on his own, but the show sinks without his partner. As a result of the act loosing money Burt is fired. Unable to properly adjust, Burt is faced with living in a motel with accommodations that do not suit him.
During his travels and transition he meets the king of magic and learns that throughout the years he has lost his passion for the art of magic.
As realizes that the passion he once had can be regained, he reconstitutes his friendships and opens himself up to new ideas.
The movie was funny but still was not 40 Year Old Virgin funny. That is what I was expecting. Jim Carry’s character was very funny and it was nice to see him back on the screen doing what he loves. Carrell and Buscemi were a great team and had great chemistry.
I give this movie 3 stars and recommend it to anyone that wants to laugh and enjoys the combination of all actors.

Happy Reading and Writing
L.L

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Paranormal Activity 4 directed by Henry Joost and starring Katie Featherston takes place five years after Katie kills her family and kidnaps her nephew baby Hunter.  Hunter now known as Robbie, along with Katie are the new residents of a neighborhood in Nevada.  The moment Katie and Robbie move in across the street, Alice the teen that notices that Robbie is strange begins to experience paranormal events in her home.

The subtle noises in the night become elevated when Robbie is forced to stay a few days with Alice and her family.  Her friend Ben encourages Alice to video record all the strange activity.  Alice feels that Robbie is a bad influence on her brother Wyatt.  After viewing the tapes of recorded footage the teen is convinced that something maybe after her and her brother.  Alice ties to confront her mother about her findings, but her mother continues to not listen and ignore the signs.

Alice eventually discovers that Robbie may be linked to a coven of witches and a demonic force.  By the time she learns this information it is too late for her and her family.

The fast moving movie really was pointless and did not answer any of the questions franchise fans want to know concerning Katie and Kristi’s past that involve the demonic creature.  The movie was done the same way as the others.  A bump here, a crash there, then suddenly Katie pops into the home and randomly kills everyone.  Katie makes a statement at the end of movie telling the possessed Wyatt that “he will be ready soon.”

For those of you who still plan to see the movie, I will not give any more away, but to tell you the truth, I should have gone to see Taken 2, which I am three weeks late seeing.  I am not going to go over special effects or score, because this movie did not bring anything new to the franchise at all.  This movie should have gone straight to DVD and Netflix.  I cannot believe that the production company wasted money to release a movie like this.  I give Paranormal Activity 4 two stars.  I hope they do not make another one for next Halloween.

As a horror fan, I was disappointed and screamed only once.

Happy Reading!!

L.L

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How can a person be caught in a web of negativity?  There are so many things that can go on in a person’s life that can contribute to that.  The web is life and the things that make up life.  The negative aspects are obviously very overwhelming and vary in capacity.  What makes the whole thing even more difficult is the fact that you are stuck within a realm that is consistently holding you back mentally, spiritually and physically.  Sometimes you may feel like it is impossible to move forward or live up to the greatness that you are supposed to be and live.  Many people may say  “just remove that negativity from your life”  But I say that it is not that simple.  It takes time, patience and planning.  You must endure or tolerate certain negative aspects in your life so you can begin to set up the necessary building blocks to take one step at a time to move in the direction of the path you want to take.   The direction of positive change and high potential.  The whole idea is a process on its own but the end result will be good no matter how far away you think the journey is.  So no matter how tight my legs are tangled in the web, I will always manage to wiggle free, and embrace my creativity turning the web of negativity into weaves of positiveness and great success by overcoming my challenges and rising above it all.

Happy Reading and Writing!!

L.L

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The second movie within my fall preview series is a film called The Possession.  Produced by Sam Raimi and Ghost House Pictures this movie follows the true story of a family experiencing demonic possession.  When a little girl becomes crazy obsessed with a small-sized wooden box that she purchased from a local garage sale, life in the home starts to get unsettling.  As Em’s obsession for the box grows, her behavior becomes more peculiar with time. The haunting activity within the home is indeed disturbing.  Em’s parents do everything they can to seek answers as they make an attempt to save their daughter from the evil spirit that inhabits her soul.

I know some of you may say ” Not another demonic possession movie!”  but really as a true horror fan, for me I can not get enough of these type of horror movies.  Always excited about what Raimi produces creatively, I feel that this movie is going to do well for opening weekend.  Starring Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffery Dean Morgan, Raimi will no doubt fill seats in theaters in anticipation for this film.  I am looking forward to seeing some classic Raimi represented in the film and hope that this makes a lot of noise at the box office.  The movie is  expected to open in theaters August 31st.

Check out the trailer below, Enjoy!!

LaTaeya

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