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Posts Tagged ‘Swept Into The Darkness Author’

“Dexter” disappoints in series finale

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I was so disappointed with the Dexter finale, that I’d considered not writing a review.
As a huge fan of Michael C. Hall and the show, I just can’t figure out what the heck the writers at Showtime were thinking when they came up with the final storyline for season 8.
Seasons one through seven,fans went on a thrill ride with Dexter as he learned about who he was as a monster with human qualities. We fell in love with him and his character. Everything just fell into place, even once Deb learned that her brother was a killer.
We have come to grips with a lot of things when it comes to our Dexter. We’ve accepted him as a husband, father, dealt with him having a killing partner, accepted him and his weird relationship with his sister, accepted him going after respectable law enforcement and handled his new love interest- psycho girlfriend Hannah. But after all of that and more, there is one thing that we just don’t accept and that is a crappy ending to such a wonderful show.
I would have accepted the ending as is only if they would have added one final component and that was during the last scene when Dexter closed his eyes then opened them, I would have had him say, “Tonight’s the night.” then fade to black.
I think that everyone wanted to hear that. I just can’t believe the writers would stray so far off the path with him. Vogal’s son deserved to die on Dexter’s table!!!

Killing Deb, dumping her body, and Dexter driving his boat into a hurricane, only to be working as a lumberjack truck driver IS NOT AN ENDING!!!
SHOWTIME WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!
I’m still so upset!
L.L

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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 Conjuring “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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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World War Z “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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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“The Man of Steel” Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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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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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Ironman3 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Marvel Studios production, Ironman 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Shane Black was a good film considering some of the negative reviews that have been written about the film. Black is fairly new to the directing scene and is known for writing for the popular 80’s action flicks Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Lethal Weapon 3.
Ironman 3 picks up sometime after the Avengers have saved the world from an intergalactic alien invasion. A disturbed Tony Stark is in the process of trying to deal with the shock of knowing that other worlds and beings exist. He is also adjusting to being in a steady relationship with Pepper.
The normalcy of life quickly comes to a halt when Tony learns that the world is once again under attack by a terrorist. The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. He is a vicious killer and will do anything to get what he wants. The government acts quickly and sends Colonel James Rhodes out on a mission to search for the terrorist. An old acquaintance of Tony’s surfaces Aldrich Killian, and makes Pepper an offer for Tony to be a partner in his DNA altering project. Pepper declines and little do they know that Killian has a more malicious agenda in mind. Tony calls out The Mandarin and soon his home is under attack. Barely making it out alive Tony and Pepper survive, but their home is destroyed. As Tony searches for The Mandarin he quickly learns that he is a fake, an actor and that his real enemy is Killian. Killian has developed a way to heal the physically disabled, but has changed them into heat resistant mutants. He has created these beings to destroy Stark and the world. His plan is to become the world’s most powerful terrorist. He kidnaps the President and Pepper and tries to use Tony’s love for her to get him to work for him.
Tony and Killian battle it out in the traditional fight between good vs evil.
Overall I thought that Ironman 3 was a good movie. The first two were better, but that still doesn’t take away from the film. Black was creative in his representation of Ironman. There were a lot of action pact scenes and creative concepts that haven’t been done before with Ironman. The effects were good, the score was disappointing.
I give this movie 3 1/2 stars.

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Dark Betrayal: Chronicles of the Celestial Book Two

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2013| 2 Comments »

The second book in my Chronicles of the Celestial series is called Dark Betrayal. The story continues as Sydney London fully embraces her heritage as a Nephilim. Even though she has defeated many of her enemies, she must now face the ultimate betrayal as she continues to defend the human race on the Earthly Realm. As she remains strong in her efforts to fight against the “Darkness” Sydney learns that the one person she is trying to save may not be the person she was meant to save. All the choices that Sydney make are important and her will to fight and survive is strong. Will the Betrayal be so devastating that it changes her mission? You will have to read to find out.
Dark Betrayal is darker than book one, because it takes the main character Sydney on a rollercoaster ride of experiences that reveal a whole new world of darkness that few magical beings have seen.

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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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Amazon and Goodreads merger

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , on April 4, 2013| 1 Comment »

Last week Amazon announced that the company would buy the reading social network Goodreads. Many authors and readers have mixed feelings about the whole idea of two different iconic companies coming together.
Many people hope that this does not mean there will be any drastic, negative changes involving both companies, but I believe that some type of changes will be underway.
As a Goodreads and Amazon author I think that the merger will be positive and help writers build a stronger platform in the world of publishing.
No one knows what the future holds concerning this merger, but we as readers and authors must always be open to new aspects in the realm of literature.
Happy Reading and Writing
L.L.

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