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TrueBlood Season Premier Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

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TrueBlood Season Premier Review
We all love Sookie Stackhouse and fell in love with her from the very beginning. We all remember that night at Merlotte’s when she was waiting tables and a mysterious man walked in and sat down.

From that very moment TrueBlood has created a very special bond between viewer and reader. That bond crosses the boarders within imagination and reality. The show has always been a reflection of Charline Harris’ work. For the most part the show has always had a clear vision of what road they intend to take during every season, but this year I feel that the absence of Alan Ball shows and the team really doesn’t know where they should take the final season.

Last season ended with an attack by the Hep-V vampires at the newly owned bar Bellefleur’s. The final season opened continuing the attack as several lives were lost including Tara and some of the Bon Temps residents being kidnapped.

After Tara got killed, I was so upset. Her death was right before the show’s introduction and it made me so angry that Rutina Wesley aka Tara didn’t even have a proper farewell. Fans have struggled with Tara all these years, and it would have been nice to see another path where her journey ended. Her character and her fans deserved better.

I’ve always wanted to see Sookie and Alcide together but there is something about the chemistry that seems a little off. The sexy, passion that Sookie has for her lovers just isn’t visible with the werewolf. Hopefully that will change.

Sam’s new position as Mayor of Bon Temps bothers me, and I feel that it has taken away from his shifter personally, despite the fact that he shifted in the episode last night. Nicole is expecting and was among the people kidnapped. I just can’t understand why Sam and Alcide couldn’t track them in their supernatural forms? That was really upsetting to me.

Where in the world is Eric? When Eric burned in the sun during last season’s finale, Pam sensed his pain and tracked him. She ends up in Morocco, but instead of finding him she is led on a treasure hunt to find her Maker which may lead her to France. Eric is one of the major characters that impacts Sookie in many ways. In the books she unknowingly marries him, but he tricks her into it in order to protect her. I was hoping that the writers would have stayed true to the author’s vision. If they did, this show could have survived ten heart stopping seasons. Even though Eric released Pam, why wouldn’t he go to Bon Temps or even to Fangtasia? Now Fantasia is a hub for the Hep-V vamps, and I think that is ridiculous.

I feel that the flow of show has come to a halt, and that the story lines involving the characters are completely disjointed. I went to bed with the show on my mind and thought about how disappointed I was with the overall writing of this particular episode.

Jason Stackhouse’s story line with this vampire chick Violet is pointless. They should have killed her and kept Tara and had Jason and Tara have an intimate scene while she was a vampire. I’m not sure where they want to go with Jessica and Andy’s daughter, Adilyn, but I’m not excited about that either.

I just hope that the writers get on board and show and that they are not just trying to get this over with for the sake of their contracts. So many shows have a bad track record with ending in disappointments.

Stephen Moyer directed the episode which impressed me. And I was happy to see everyone. The introduction of some new characters like Jessica’s new beau was refreshing. I’m looking forward to seeing how this season unfolds. I just got the final Sookie book so I can’t wait to get lost in her adventures again.
L.L.

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Noah “Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

Noah poster

Noah starring Russell Crowe and directed by Darren Aronofksy was a complete disappointment to the epic Bible story. Noah is chosen by God to complete a great task, to build an ark to save the animals, (and the human race, or so I thought.)The Bible states that Noah and his family was chosen because they were good people and didn’t give in to the sins of the world.
This movie took that whole idea and concept away from the original story. I think everything went wrong for this movie, starting with Noah’s son’s Sham, Ham and Jabath. All of which were young boys and not men. In the bible they are men and already have wives.
Sham ends up with the adoptive daughter which means that she is Sham’s non blood related sister,(a girl who Noah saves from being attacked, then raises her as his own.)
Then there is this whole war that is started by a villain, supposedly a descendent of Cain, Tubal-cain, played by Ray Winestone. Viewed as a king by the people, he demands to be saved and uses his army to wage war against Noah so he can take the ark. Noah’s family is protected by fallen angels called Watchers.
The animals began to board the ark. The rains begin and Noah soon has a fallout with Ham as he looses a woman that he wanted to go with him.
lla played by Emma Watson is impregnated by Sham, not realizing it until they’ve spent weeks in the ark. The evil villain escapes the flood as he secretly boarded the ark during the attack.
Noah’s family believes that they will have a chance to restart civilization, but Noah says the sin of the world will end with his family. Once he realizes that lla is pregnant, he plots to kill the baby so that he can uphold god’s plan. The family is outraged and the young couple plan to escape the ark.
Their plan fails as Noah torches their little boat and the stress of that situation begins the onset of labor.
The Villain uses Noah’s son as a ploy to influence Ham so he can kill his father. Tubal-cain wants to got Noah out-of-the-way,so that he can be the ruler of the people. Once the ark lands, and the doves seek a place to start over, a fight breaks out just as Noah discovers that the ark has been invaded by evil. The son defends his father and Tubal-cain is killed on the ark.
Twins are born on the ark and Noah can not bear to murder the innocent babies. They start a new life and the new earth is born.
Every time a new scene opened, the more I disliked this movie. I don’t understand the reason why the writers would change the story to such a degree that makes it disturbing.
The villain was added for dramatic reasons. The purpose for Emma Watson’s character was pointless and the storyline centered around her was inappropriate. Murder in the new world, killing babies, are all things that contradict the story in so many ways.
I grew up reading about Noah and the flood, and I just can’t express enough, how disappointed I was. They even added Noah’s grandfather Methuselah portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. The character presented could have been introduced better.
The special effects were good, but the story telling was just so bad. I did find myself wanting an even more detailed back-story on the watchers. That could have been developed better.
This role was not fitting for the cast, with the exception of Hopkins, and where did Noah find clippers to get his head shaved? Really?
I gave this movie 2 stars, not a box office must see.
L.L

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BATES MOTEL Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The A&E Horror series Bates Motel starring Freddie Highmore is the prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.
The show is very interesting and shows the growing psychotic relationship between Norman and his mother Norma.

Bates Motel opens with the mysterious death of Norman’s father, and Norman discovering his body. Distraught and shocked Norman and Norma try to move past it by starting fresh, and moving to a new town. Norma purchases the Seafair Motel in hopes of building a successful business and making a good life for her son. Before they even have a chance to settle in, they are confronted by the previous owner of the property. Upset that he lost his home and business he breaks onto the house one night, attacks and rapes Norma. Norman walks in and discovers his mom is hurt. He knocks out Keith Summers and Norma stabbs him several times.
Determined to keep the murder a secret Norma and Norman disposes his body.
This murder and secret is the beginning of a chain of events that lead Norman and Norma on a downward spiral into the pit of darkness.

The show is exciting and has some very interesting storylines. The introduction of an older brother is fresh to the Psycho theme in addition to Norman’s blackouts.
I really don’t have too many complaints concerning this show except for the time period. The time period can be very confusing. The house and style of the show is presented in a way that is authentic to the time the original takes place, then is interrupted by the introduction of modern technology.
Norman and his mother dress and act like they are from the 50’s and 60’s. Then the second they take out a cell phone or go on the computer, it takes away from the authenticity of Hitchcock’s legacy.
Bates Motel is a great show and shows great promise. The characters have good on screen chemistry and I love the way the writers are developing the relationship between Norman and his mother.

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Evil Dead: Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Evil Dead, The most anticipated horror film in years was released in theaters this past Friday.
The Sony Pictures production was a re-make of the original 80’s version, but the film also brought something new to Sam Raimi’s creation.

The story follows a group of friends as they travel to a remote cabin in the woods to help Mia, get off drugs “cold turkey.” Among the group is her brother David,he joins them in hopes to support his sister, but they obviously have some issues they need to work out. The group quickly settles in and Eric finds something that interests him; The Book of the Dead.
Under the care of nurse Olivia, Mia starts the process of withdrawal, in the midst of everything going on Eric reads an incantation from the book. As Mia’s withdrawal becomes more intense she is soon possessed by a dark entity. One by one the group of friends are devoured by the entity. David takes on the leadership role and tries to abide by the rules of the book which is to cleanse or purify the possessed body. He saves his sister by burying her and bringing her back. As they each die horrific deaths David decides to burn his family’s cabin. The ritual is complete and now the dark entity is ready to consume Mia’s soul. Mia gains the strength to fight the demon, and in the process loses one of her hands. She becomes the new Ash, and sends the demon back to hell.
The new Evil Dead was produced by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. This film was a great horror and very exciting to watch. There were some classic elements infused in the remake such as the necklace, the chainsaw, and the iconic scene in the woods when Mia was alone. New elements of the story included the history of the cabin which was very interesting and the obvious drug concept. This movie overall did not disappoint, and the gore and blood was over the top perfect. The special effects and makeup was done with a talented team. The sound effects and score brought movie goers into the film on a whole new level. As far as the actors, I think that the cast was a good choice and the fear they portrayed on camera was very realistic. I give this movie 4 stars
L.L

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Sinister “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2012| 1 Comment »

Sinister directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance follows the life of writer Ellison Oswalt as he makes an attempt to write his next best-selling novel.  As he struggles to get back on his feet, he begins his writing journey with moving into a new home that has a horrid past.  Keeping that past a secret from his wife and children, Ellison is best known for writing books centered around real murderers and murder victims.  As the family deals with preexisting strain it does not take long for Ellison to realize that it was a mistake to move his family into the house.

After the official move, Ellison discovers a box of home movies in the attic.  Believing that the movies could be useful research for his book, Ellison views the films and learns that strangely the home movies consist of footage of the actual murders.  As he continues to view the films, he is drawn deeper into the darkness that comes with being in the house.  When paranormal disturbances become prevalent, Ellison learns that there is a dark entity that potentially is the source of the murders.  The dark entity is an “eater of children” and consumes their souls over the course of time. When Ellison’s children become the target , the survival of his family is number one priority.  For the first time, Ellison transitions into a “real believer.”

Usually before I see a movie, I have some kind of background knowledge about it.  In this case I knew nothing about the film or what to expect from it.  Derrickson did a great job with the team of writers, production crew and visual effects artists to create a horror film that was meant to live up to the goal of scaring you. Overall the movie was well done.  The script was written well and the character development was realistic in its delivery and was presented in a way that was believable.  Ethan Hawke is not normally seen in this type of film,, so it was a pleasure to see him take on a character like Ellison. The score and sound were two other elements that added to the fear and made the movie more intense.  The score was an extension of telling the story and created a more balanced component to the film.

The idea of a demonic entity preying on children obviously has been done time and time again but It still brought a freshness to the world of horror.  I highly recommend this movie as part of your Halloween film list this season.  All the theatrical elements combined make this movie very haunting and entertaining.  I give Sinister four stars for its dark and malicious components that “draw in” the horror movie fan that gets a kick out of “things that go bump in the night.”

See you in theaters!!

L.L

 

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Snow White and the Huntsman “Movie review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 9, 2012| 3 Comments »

 Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron tells the classic fairy tale with a very dramatic twist.  The struggle for power, beauty and immortality are the basis that supports the over all theme of good vs evil.  Kristen Stewart plays a Snow White that is rarely portrayed when it comes to fairy tale princesses.  The character demonstrates strength and perseverance as she sets out on a journey to survive being hunted, avenge her father’s death and to save the kingdom from permanent darkness.   Unfortunately  I feel that Stewart was not a good choice for the role of Snow White.  I understand the goal of  the casting director but Stewart did not do a good job with the character portrayal.  I just saw her as a modern girl who was thrown into period costume, making an attempt to portray a fairy tale princess.  Her mannerisms were way too Bella like, and I kept seeing Bella push through the Snow White character.

On the other hand the Queen played by Theron was a perfect choice of casting right along with the Huntsman played by Hemsworth.  Both characters had a very interesting story that continued to draw movie goers deeper into the fairy tale.  The darkness within Theron was extremely engaging, the more you saw her on camera the more you wanted to learn about her character.  Charlize was by far one of the best evil queens I have seen on silver screen.

The special effects and costumes were stunning and engaging.  They did not over shadow the mood of the movie or the storyline.  They both added to the realness of the environment.  The effects were used in methods that told the story in a way that our imaginations could only visualize.  The fantasy world demonstrated a vast array of creativity and innovativeness.  I was completely drawn into the elements of the magical land.

One major down fall in the movie was the portrayal of the dwarfs.  Played by various known actors, collectively they were not a major component to the story line like in the classic story.  The casting director should have picked real little people to play the seven dwarfs.  There are lots of little people actors out there that should have the opportunity to demonstrate their acting skills.  They would have also presented a more authentic feel representing their part of the story.

The movie has some good action that will keep you interested.  I give this movie three stars.

Happy Reading and Writing

L.L

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The Cabin in the Woods Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 The Lionsgate production, The Cabin in the Woods directed by Drew Goddard and starring a cast of relative unknowns follows a group of five college kids on a trip.  The kids intent for a fun weekend filled with booze, sex and drug usage is cut short when two of them are attacked during a moment when they believe they are alone.  Attacked by flesh-eating zombies, their traumatic ordeal and experiences in the cabin are being filmed in real-time.  Every step they make is monitored and controlled by some kind of high functioning underground operation.   From the very beginning,  starting with their encounter with the stranger on the road, to the discovery of a torture chamber in the basement,  and the moment leading up to the initial attack prompts the movie to go  in so many different directions.  The movie simultaneously follows what is happening to the college kids and the adults responsible for their demise.  Strangely they take up bets, and route for their favorite.  In the end no one is to survive this experience.

After running and making attempts to protect and save themselves the kids die one by one with only  two to survive.  Dana and Marty aka the virgin and the fool end up underground in the official facility that has control over everything.  They learn that for some reason they are ones that have to die, in order to save the world from destruction.  At this point this is where the movie looses me completely.  The Sci Fi horror legend Sigourney Weaver makes a cameo appearance in the movie as The Director of the Facility.  She explains that their purpose is to offer up human blood to satisfy the gods, in order to save humanity.  Dana is then given the opportunity to rid the world of the fool so that the world has a chance to survive.

The hour and thirty minute flick is fast-moving but really does not stir anything in me.  The movie does keep you interested because the question of knowing who, why, how and when is always on your brain.  There were elements of 13 Ghosts, infused with Hostel, Stay Alive and Silent Hill in this movie.   The movie’s horror  intention was lost in its interpretation, even though there were some scary parts.  This movie was very hard to follow at times.  The acting was not impressive but the special effects and creature designs were very cool.  The make up effects for the zombies was also very interesting.  They didn’t appear to look like the traditional zombie but more, like a hybrid demonic creature with elements of  the classic zombie.  It was a refreshing twist on the creature.

Overall I give this movie three stars for cinematic effort and the attempts to being unique in its concept.

Happy Reading, Writing, and Creating!!

L.L.

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The Woman in Black Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , on February 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

The Woman in Black Directed by James Watkins and starring Daniel Radcliffe is a story about a young lawyer who is plagued with the grief of his wife’s death.  Now a single father Arthur Kipp must do everything he can to keep from falling apart.  He is sent on a job to a small village to retrieve paper work for a house that must be put back on the market.  Little does he know that this job would open him up to a world of paranormal activity and capture him upon the border between life and death.

This Spiritual Horror is based on the novel written by Susan Hill.  Set in the late 1800’s in a dreary England, the slow-moving beginning opens with the scene of three young girls playing happily.  Their happiness soon turns into despair when they suddenly stop playing and make their way over to the window to jump out.  Obviously not in their right minds,  This scene does not do too much for movie goers but we were all eager to take the theatrical journey.  After the suicide the movie proceeds to introduce the main character and his purpose.

On the verge of loosing his job, Arthur arrives at the remote village to begin his work.  He finds that the towns folk are very distant and unwelcoming.  There is something terribly wrong with the atmosphere of this town, and there is no doubt that Arthur feels the tension that the town is giving off.  He eventually settles in and makes his way over the house.  Transported by horse and carriage he arrives at the eerie mansion.  All alone he is left with his thoughts and the work he must do.  Once he settled in he, familiarized himself with the property and automatically is distracted by suspicious sounds and the visions of ghostly apparitions.  The subtlety of the activity up to this point is not impressive to me.  Creepy bumps, and other noises just makes Arthur feel like he must investigate the house and property.  What is interesting about this part is that Arthur learns some valid information about the owner of the house and her family history.    Fortunately by the time things slightly intensify he is picked up and must return to the village for the night.

At this point in the movie things really start to pick up as the director fully takes you into the story deeper.  A child ends up dead and Arthur’s presence sets off a chain of events that makes the towns folk more fearful than ever.  The ghostly superstitions that the town holds slowly surfaces  and turns real the longer Arthur works in the house and stays in the village.  Determined to get his work done to provide for his four-year son he decides to spend the night in the house to get more accomplished.  This night is the most chilling and is the turning point where the director and writers as a whole step it up in their cinematic delivery.  The woman in black makes her presence fully known as this thriller now officially turns into a horror.  Things go pump in the night and the haunting of this woman deeply intensifies.  Screams heard near and far, the movie is filled with suspense and action and keep you interested.

I do not want to provide any more spoilers but The Woman in Black for me was a fresh take on an old recurring theme.  It was not the traditional hunted house movie, despite some of the traditional elements, such as the screams, or the anticipation building music, and the parts where you think something is about to jump out but it is something totally non threatening.   Daniel Radcliffe preformed very well considering this is his first on-screen movie role since Deathly Hallows part II.  It was hard to not see Daniel as Harry.  I felt like his glasses and wand were missing in some parts, but I feel that taking on new and exciting adult roles will be great for his career.

Over all I think that the movie was quite thrilling and the director  and crew did a wonderful job with creating and drawing you into the authentic element of the original novelist’s vision.  I give this movie a B+ rating.  I cant wait to see what Radcliffe has planned for his next project.

 

 

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