I've been out with the plague since Saturday, but I'm finally getting back into the swing of regular life again. With death no doubt taking one step closer with each chill, ache, and stomach cramp, I decided to go down swinging. And for me, that means watching a found footage horror movie.
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
October 8, 2014
Quickie Movie Review: Alien Abduction
I've been out with the plague since Saturday, but I'm finally getting back into the swing of regular life again. With death no doubt taking one step closer with each chill, ache, and stomach cramp, I decided to go down swinging. And for me, that means watching a found footage horror movie.
October 2, 2014
Quickie Book Review: Paper Towns
This is the fourth book of John Green's that I listened to during the commute to work. It's a pretty good book following the narrator, Quentin (Q) Jacobsen, a high school senior who seems randomly chosen to partake in a well-thought-out plan of vandalism, breaking and entering, and blackmail with his life-long crush, Margo Roth Spiegelman. The next day, Margo vanishes, leaving Q a string a clues as he and his friends go looking for her.
September 21, 2014
Quickie Book Review: Looking for Alaska
This is John Green's debut novel, published in 2005. It follows the main character Miles Halter, a skinny kid with no social life who leaves Florida public school to attend a prep school in Alabama. He quickly fits in with a group of friends who introduce him to the finer parts of the teenage experience, such as smoking, drinking, and pranking the popular kids. He also finds himself stuck stuck in the friendzone with the wild, moody, and super attractive Alaska Young.
August 20, 2014
Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars
So...where to begin.
I listened to this book in the car, mostly because I'm cleaning up my current YA novel and it's written in a style that reminds me of John Green or other similar authors.
I went in having no idea what it was about. That's how I listen to YA novels in the car. I don't even read the cover jacket just because I like the surprise, so I didn't even know that the book was about cancer kids until I started it.
August 6, 2014
Quickie Book Review: The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing
The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing by David Morrell
I thought I had never heard of David Morrell until I started listening to this book in the car. Then I realized that not only I, but most of the civilized world was very familiar with him, due to a character he created. David Morrell is the author of First Blood, which introduced the world to Rambo.
I thought I had never heard of David Morrell until I started listening to this book in the car. Then I realized that not only I, but most of the civilized world was very familiar with him, due to a character he created. David Morrell is the author of First Blood, which introduced the world to Rambo.
July 17, 2014
Quickie Book Review: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty
I wanted to try something a little different in the car, so I picked out this audiobook. Actually, my wife picked this one out for me, and I'm happy she did. I'm also lucky she supports my writing habit as much as she does. It really helps. But back to the audiobook, if you're unfamiliar with Grammar Girl, check out her website: Quick and Dirty Tips. You won't find a better site for basic grammar tips and answers to your writing questions.
July 7, 2014
Incomplete(?) Book Review: Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives
Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives by Arthur Plotnik
I'm kind of OCD in the way that if I start reading something, I like to finish it. That includes a movie, a television series, an audiobook, a video game (not that I have any time for those, sadly) or a pot of coffee.
But this morning, I started an audiobook I just couldn't get through.
It's a book called Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives by Arthur Plotnik and you would think that it's title alone would be enough for me to know that I wouldn't enjoy it.
I'm kind of OCD in the way that if I start reading something, I like to finish it. That includes a movie, a television series, an audiobook, a video game (not that I have any time for those, sadly) or a pot of coffee.
But this morning, I started an audiobook I just couldn't get through.
It's a book called Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives by Arthur Plotnik and you would think that it's title alone would be enough for me to know that I wouldn't enjoy it.
July 2, 2014
Quickie Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a post-apocalyptic Chicago (we don't get a feel for the rest of the country a this point) society is divided into 5 factions based on their dominant dispositions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. When you turn 16, you take a test and then choose which faction you join based on the test results. A select few are called "Divergent", meaning they have traits that could line up with multiple factions. For reasons we aren't told until the end, the Divergents need to hide the fact that they tested that way and can not be discovered by the faction leaders.
June 26, 2014
Quickie Book Review: Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter
Zero to Breakthrough: The 7-Step, Battle-Tested Method for Accomplishing Goals that Matter by Vernice "Flygirl" Armour
I took a chance with this one after reading the bio blurb of the author. This gal has literally done it all and I figured her story would make a great book on success.
The Good: Well, her heart is in the right place. She tells some really interesting war stories and tries to be as motivational and inspirational as possible. Her seven step plan on identifying and accomplishing goals is the heart of the book, but these steps are often vague and glossed over.
I took a chance with this one after reading the bio blurb of the author. This gal has literally done it all and I figured her story would make a great book on success.
The Good: Well, her heart is in the right place. She tells some really interesting war stories and tries to be as motivational and inspirational as possible. Her seven step plan on identifying and accomplishing goals is the heart of the book, but these steps are often vague and glossed over.
June 17, 2014
Quickie Movie Review: Insidious: Chapter 2
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
The first Insidious scared the living crap out of me. It wasn't perfect, but if supernatural horror is your thing and you love getting scared, you won't find a more frightening movie.
So it was with great anticipation that I made some popcorn, dimmed the lights, put on the headphones (can't watch a movie like this with sound on when the kids are sleeping) and prepared to get terrified all over again.
The only problem is that it wasn't really that scary. Not like the first one, at least. The scares were mostly the type where there is a loud noise to accompany a scary image to make you jump. They just weren't always relative to the story this time.
The Good: This is a fun movie. I could understand people complaining about some of the comedy, but I never felt like it was too forced or killed the mood. When they needed to be serious they turned off the humor and got serious. I also like the way they tie some of the final scenes into the first movie. In some ways it like a Saw movie.
The Bad: We'll have some spoilers here, so there is your warning. I had two big problems with the end of the movie. First, with the cliff-hanger. I know it's there to set up the next movie and give you a quick scare at the end, but come one. Why introduce this whole new story in the last two minutes of the movie. You know what, thought, I think it would have worked to do that as a bonus scene after the closing credits. That would have actually been pretty cool.
Anyhow, a bigger problem I had with this movie was the "big reveal" at the end. When it was shown that (again, here is the spoiler!) Parker was a killer because his mom made him dress and act and grow up "as a girl" I just shook my head. This was the exact same "big reveal" from The House at the End of the Street. James Wan and Leigh Whannell really could have done better than using the same plot from a movie that came out just one year earlier.
Closing: Watch it. It's not the masterpiece that the first one was, but it's not terrible by any means. If you're a fan of supernatural horror or enjoy the Saw style of storytelling, this is the 2013 movie for you. But make sure you watch the first one first, or a lot of what you see here won't make any sense.
The first Insidious scared the living crap out of me. It wasn't perfect, but if supernatural horror is your thing and you love getting scared, you won't find a more frightening movie.
So it was with great anticipation that I made some popcorn, dimmed the lights, put on the headphones (can't watch a movie like this with sound on when the kids are sleeping) and prepared to get terrified all over again.
The only problem is that it wasn't really that scary. Not like the first one, at least. The scares were mostly the type where there is a loud noise to accompany a scary image to make you jump. They just weren't always relative to the story this time.
The Good: This is a fun movie. I could understand people complaining about some of the comedy, but I never felt like it was too forced or killed the mood. When they needed to be serious they turned off the humor and got serious. I also like the way they tie some of the final scenes into the first movie. In some ways it like a Saw movie.
The Bad: We'll have some spoilers here, so there is your warning. I had two big problems with the end of the movie. First, with the cliff-hanger. I know it's there to set up the next movie and give you a quick scare at the end, but come one. Why introduce this whole new story in the last two minutes of the movie. You know what, thought, I think it would have worked to do that as a bonus scene after the closing credits. That would have actually been pretty cool.
Anyhow, a bigger problem I had with this movie was the "big reveal" at the end. When it was shown that (again, here is the spoiler!) Parker was a killer because his mom made him dress and act and grow up "as a girl" I just shook my head. This was the exact same "big reveal" from The House at the End of the Street. James Wan and Leigh Whannell really could have done better than using the same plot from a movie that came out just one year earlier.
Closing: Watch it. It's not the masterpiece that the first one was, but it's not terrible by any means. If you're a fan of supernatural horror or enjoy the Saw style of storytelling, this is the 2013 movie for you. But make sure you watch the first one first, or a lot of what you see here won't make any sense.
May 26, 2014
Wrestling...for Jesus?
I've been known to throw in the occasional pro-wrestling reference here, so it should come to no one's surprise that I'm a fan of that type of entertainment. I found this documentary on Netflix called Wrestling for Jesus: The Tale of T-Money
and figured it's probably something I should watch.
I've been aware of some of these "Christian" wrestling organizations for quite some time and I believe at one point or another, a few big names like Ted Dibiase, Sting, and Vince Russo have dabbled in them.
This documentary, however, wasn't about any big names. It followed a tiny non-profit independent group called (what else?) Wrestling For Jesus. Basically, an indie wrestler lost his father to suicide and dealt with his pain by creating a small wrestling promotion in South Carolina with the purpose of evangelizing their brand of Christianity to their fans.
I don't want to make too many wisecracks about this, because WFJ did have a (mostly) positive influence on the lives of everyone involved. But, good God, as both a Christian and wrestling fan (not necessarily in that order, lol) I couldn't help but cringe to see the way this documentary enforced common stereotypes of both groups here.
But let's put that aside and talk about the positive. You have 20 or so guys who love something (or in this case two somethings) enough to put everything on the line and go out and do it. None of these wrestlers could make it in the big leagues--they just didn't have the look or talent--but they still got professionally trained and managed to put together something for a few years that gave them the opportunity to touch the lives of their audience by doing something they loved.
And, really, isn't that the whole point of living?
and figured it's probably something I should watch. I've been aware of some of these "Christian" wrestling organizations for quite some time and I believe at one point or another, a few big names like Ted Dibiase, Sting, and Vince Russo have dabbled in them.
This documentary, however, wasn't about any big names. It followed a tiny non-profit independent group called (what else?) Wrestling For Jesus. Basically, an indie wrestler lost his father to suicide and dealt with his pain by creating a small wrestling promotion in South Carolina with the purpose of evangelizing their brand of Christianity to their fans.
I don't want to make too many wisecracks about this, because WFJ did have a (mostly) positive influence on the lives of everyone involved. But, good God, as both a Christian and wrestling fan (not necessarily in that order, lol) I couldn't help but cringe to see the way this documentary enforced common stereotypes of both groups here.
But let's put that aside and talk about the positive. You have 20 or so guys who love something (or in this case two somethings) enough to put everything on the line and go out and do it. None of these wrestlers could make it in the big leagues--they just didn't have the look or talent--but they still got professionally trained and managed to put together something for a few years that gave them the opportunity to touch the lives of their audience by doing something they loved.
And, really, isn't that the whole point of living?
September 19, 2013
Quickie Book Review: The Talisman
The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub.
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer needs to travel across the United States to retrieve a magical talisman that can save his dying mom. To speed up his trip, he travels back-and-forth to an alternative parallel universe (called The Territories) where he can move a little quicker from point A to point B. And he meets lots of bad guys along the way, both in the US and in the Territories.
The Good: It's Stephen King, so you know it won't be boring. The novel has a great plot with tons of suspense and surprises, as well as a handful of interesting characters. The Territories are sort of like a medieval fantasy land with a mixture of peasants, gargoyles, nuclear radiation, and werewolves. A very cool place, if you ask me.
The Bad: It's Stephen King, so you know it will be boring. (See what I did there.) My biggest complaint is that this book is just way too long. I'm not against a long book, either. The Stand and Atlas Shrugged are two of my favorites. It's just that in the case of The Talisman, way too many pages are filled with unnecessary detail after unnecessary detail after unnecessary flashback. This book is also way too slow. There were so many times, especially in the first two-hundred pages, where I found myself shouting "Something Happen, already!"
Closing: I originally read this book when I was a freshman in high school, so naturally, I remembered nothing about it. I did remember that I loved it back then and since King & Straub recently wrote a sequel to it (Black House) I figured I'd read it again so that when I finally got around to reading Black House, I'd have some sort of clue as to what was going on. So would I recommend reading it? Probably not. Like I said earlier, it is a great story, but it's just so slow that unless you're a Stephen King completist or want to read it because you're planning to read Black House you could probably live without The Talisman. This book would be a prime candidate for a rerelease like The Stand, only instead of "Complete and uncut," they could make it "The Talisman: Cut." Take out about 300 pages and this novel would be gold.
Twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer needs to travel across the United States to retrieve a magical talisman that can save his dying mom. To speed up his trip, he travels back-and-forth to an alternative parallel universe (called The Territories) where he can move a little quicker from point A to point B. And he meets lots of bad guys along the way, both in the US and in the Territories.
The Good: It's Stephen King, so you know it won't be boring. The novel has a great plot with tons of suspense and surprises, as well as a handful of interesting characters. The Territories are sort of like a medieval fantasy land with a mixture of peasants, gargoyles, nuclear radiation, and werewolves. A very cool place, if you ask me.
The Bad: It's Stephen King, so you know it will be boring. (See what I did there.) My biggest complaint is that this book is just way too long. I'm not against a long book, either. The Stand and Atlas Shrugged are two of my favorites. It's just that in the case of The Talisman, way too many pages are filled with unnecessary detail after unnecessary detail after unnecessary flashback. This book is also way too slow. There were so many times, especially in the first two-hundred pages, where I found myself shouting "Something Happen, already!"
Closing: I originally read this book when I was a freshman in high school, so naturally, I remembered nothing about it. I did remember that I loved it back then and since King & Straub recently wrote a sequel to it (Black House) I figured I'd read it again so that when I finally got around to reading Black House, I'd have some sort of clue as to what was going on. So would I recommend reading it? Probably not. Like I said earlier, it is a great story, but it's just so slow that unless you're a Stephen King completist or want to read it because you're planning to read Black House you could probably live without The Talisman. This book would be a prime candidate for a rerelease like The Stand, only instead of "Complete and uncut," they could make it "The Talisman: Cut." Take out about 300 pages and this novel would be gold.
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