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Gateway to Dark Stars by Kate Haley
Genre: Horror, Action, Adventure
Slaying monsters. It ain’t much, but it’s honest work.
In the age of jazz and bootleg liquor, black magic is making a big comeback. Luckily, the scourge of demons and cultists are keeping Doctor Vincent Temple in business. Even the Mafia are having trouble with monsters, and they’ve hired Temple to sort it out. Cash is cash, and the old Doctor has never been one to turn his nose up at a job, no matter who’s paying. This time luck is smiling on him. The gangsters are tangling with a cult Doctor Temple has been stalking over a personal matter, but when reconnaissance turns into rescue can he save the world before things become too personal?
The Witcher meets Cthulhu in this gruesome, high-octane adventure. Snatch up your copy now and get ready to slay some demons!
Kate Haley is a speculative fiction author who works predominantly in fantasy and horror.
While currently content to fill her days with writing and table-top RPGs, her grander plans involve world domination. Something akin to the tyranny of the greatest city atop the Disc would be an acceptable standard. She believes a super-villainous overlord would be an upgrade, given that our current villains lack style and imagination.
After all, super-villainy requires Presentation.
If you like her references, consider reading her books. Peruse the website for short fictions and merchandise, and join the mailing list for early access and exclusive cool stuff.
Would you like a chance to win a personalized signed copy of the book and an art print of the lead character by the illustrator, or a $10 Amazon gift card? Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible, inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea, but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. Written by Warner Bros
Now let’s talk about the movie… That’s why we are here, right?
Nolan not only wrote a script that is incredibly brilliant and unlike anything else out there, but then he went and directed it to perfection. There are so many plot twists and story arcs that you could easily get lost in this story and yet, it is filmed in such a way that you know exactly where you are and who’s dream you are in at every moment.
Watch this film with an open mind and just give in to the adventure and suspend your disbelief. For as long as the film is (2hrs. and 28 minutes) it doesn’t feel that long at all.
Casablanca (1942), Chinatown (1974), The Usual Suspects (1995), Vertigo (1958), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), and of course Citizen Kan (1941) have all been deemed the most perfect scripts of all time. Now, whether you agree with that list or not no skin off my back. My point is, I would argue that Inception is damn near perfect as well and should be included on the list.
Christopher Nolan has given us Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and so many others. The man is a fantastic writer, an amazing director, and at his core an artist.
Cinematography ★★★★★
How they did so many amazing shots, I have no idea. The fight scene in the spinning hallway… WOW. I understand how it works, having a background in theatre and film, but to pull it off as flawlessly as they did is unbelievable.
Inception was nominated for a total of 8 Oscars, but only won 4: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. I agree with all of these wins, but do feel the movie still got robbed as it should have won more!
Character(s)/Acting: ★★★★★
This film was packed with amazing, talented actors! It was so much fun to watch them dig into their characters and let the unusual plot twists take them for a ride. Their performances sucked you in and kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
I won’t rant about this, but I have to share my two cents… Leonardo DiCaprio deserved an academy award for this film. He was robbed.
FUN FACTS:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt performed all but one of his own stunts during the fight scene in the spinning hallway.
Christopher Nolan has said that the snow-based third-level dream was inspired by his favorite James bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
Leonardo DiCaprio was writer, producer, and director Christopher Nolan’s and producer Emma Thomas’ only choice for the role of Cobb.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE:
“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” ~ Eames
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” ~ Cobb
TO SUM IT UP:
Inception was made 10 years ago, I’m sure you’ve seen it by now. However, if on the off chance that you haven’t, I highly recommend this film. I don’t give a full 5 starts to just any film and honestly, I’d give this film a much higher star-rating if I could, but 10 out of 5 just doesn’t sound right.
So, have you seen Inception yet? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If not, I highly recommend seeing it for yourself and forming your own opinion.
A retiring assassin, Henry Brogan, finds himself pursued by a mysterious killer that can predict his every move. Discovering that he’s being hunted by a younger clone of himself, Henry needs to find out why he’s being targeted and who the creator is. ~ Written by Bixy Gello
Now let’s talk about the movie… That’s why we are here, right?
I loved this story. The whole concept of the assassin, created as a clone, sent to kill the man he was created after. WOW! The script was fantastic, fun, and just packed with action. There were just enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. I loved it!
Cinematography ★★★★★
With all the action shots, this one could have tanked, but it was great. There were some beautiful shots, but that isn’t really what you watch a movie like this for. For me, it was all about the action and the fight sequences and the camera work in these scenes was magically. As a viewer, you really feel like you’re right there in the thick of it.
Character(s)/Acting: ★★★★★
This film features an amazing cast. With Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, and Benedict Wong… WOW! They were all fantastic. I loved every second and was sucked in from the very beginning. Usually, when I watch super stars like Will Smith, my mind wanders and I think about other roles they’ve played. Not with this film. Will Smith instantly became Henry Brogan and there was no looking back.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead was perfect as Danny. She was completely natural as the touch girl but also had a very appealing innocence to her. I thought she did a great job and the subtle chemistry between her character and Will Smith’s character was charming.
Computer Graphics (CG): ★★★★
Sure, you can tell the Will Smith clone is CG… of course he is, Will Smith can’t be two different ages at the same time. However, I think they did a fantastic job of making him look as real as possible. As with all CG characters, I find the mouths never are quite natural, but it didn’t distract from the film at all.
FUN FACTS:
* The original script was written for Clint Eastwood.
* Johnny Depp turned down the film in 2012.
* From 2003 to 2010 Nicolas Cage was attached to this project, but he convinced Jerry Bruckheimer to work on The Sorcerer's Apprentice instead.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“You can tell me now or you can tell me in five minutes without all your teeth.” ~ Danny Zakarweski
TO SUM IT UP:
WATCH THIS FILM!!! Seriously, if you haven’t seen Gemini Man, I highly recommend it, but don’t take my word for it, see it for yourself and form you own opinion.
Have you seen Gemini Man yet? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
This movie gives you exactly what you expect from the Fast & Furious franchise… fast paced action!
Writing/Story: ★★★
Honestly… the story isn’t all that great. In fact, there really isn’t a story. But, are you really expecting to see well thought out plots, twists, and drama? No. You’re going for the action, the car chases, and the gun fights and this movie gives you that in spades, with some minor “character” conversations sprinkled in for good measure.
If you’ve watched the previous Fast & Furious films, then you know what you’re getting into. The movie doesn’t make all that much sense, there really isn’t a point, but yet like the other films in this franchise, it managed to be entertaining which is why we continue to watch them. Plus, who doesn’t like watching Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in an action film? It is what they do best.
I was surprised to find how much comedy was actually in this film. How much I actually laughed. There is one scene, probably my favorite out of the entire movie, where Hobbs and Shaw are in these two parallel hallways with just a window between them. They each have to deal with their own sets of challenged or obstacles to get to the end of the hall at which time they need to open a door using an optical reader. The whole time Shaw is fighting off bad guys and Hobbs is doing what he is doing and still they are participating in their personal competition of who is better… tougher… stronger… whatever and having a very clear non-verbal conversation. It was awesome.
Cinematography ★★★★
I commend the camera man in this one. With all the fight scenes, car chases, helicopter scenes, and just the over all craziness… his job had to be difficult. With so much action going on at one time it would be really easy to mess up the shots and make it feel to boxed in or way to spacious, but it was beautifully filmed allowing the audience to feel like they were right there in the action but yet far enough out to see the full picture.
Character(s)/Acting: ★★★★
I’ll admit the acting isn’t that great but the fight scenes are pretty awesome and both The Rock and Jason Statham are 100% invested in their characters and you truly believe them in these roles. Maybe they are just like this in real life or maybe it comes from years and years playing roles very similar to these.
The best thing about this film, for me, is how well Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham work together. Their on-screen chemistry is fantastic. The entire film is basically them exchanging insults and trying to one up each other. It’s a long pissing contest and it works to keep the audience entertained in between and even during the incredibly unrealistic yet enjoyable fight sequences.
Idris Elba plays a great supervillain.
This movie contains a number of really great cameos… meant to complement the film. I wont give them all away, but you just might spot Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren just to name a few. This film doesn’t take itself seriously and it doesn’t expect the views to either. It just wants to provide entertainment, keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you cheer. It does that!
FUN FACT:
During the London car chase, as Brixton’s motorcycle changes shape to slide under the oncoming truck, we can clearly hear the iconic sound effect that is used during the transformations from the Transformers cartoons and films. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, listen for it… you’ll recognize it. (You can see the clip in my video review below.)
TO SUM IT UP:
This movie was way longer than it needed to be, which made it drag for me, but I still left entertained and wondering what type of movie they would come up with next.
Have you seen Hobbs & Shaw yet? If you have, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If not, I recommend seeing it for yourself and forming your own opinion.
Check out my YouTube channel and the video review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
Would you prefer to watch the video review, instead of reading it? CLICK HERE
Title: Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Director: Jon Watts Writers: Chris McKenna and Eric Sommers Based on the Marvel Comic by: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Stars: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon Genre(s): Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi Runtime: 129 minutes Rated: PG-13
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Writing: ★★★★★ Spider-Man Far From Home is an
action packed follow-up to the previous Spider-Man Homecoming that takes place
after the events of Avengers: Endgame. Peter Parker is back after the snap –
back from the 5-year blip that made half the world’s population disappear and
he just wants to be a normal kid. Unfortunately, his is quickly called into
action by Nick Fury who manages to hijack Peter’s class trip bringing Peter and
his friends directly in the middle of all the action and danger.
Cinematography: ★★★★★
There are some extremely well-done shots in this movie. The fast-paced
movements were edited perfectly. The awesome part… and this is a SPOILER… we
get to see it as if we are backstage on a movie set. SO COOL!!!
Story: ★★★★ The story telling in Spider-Man Far From Home is like no other superhero movie that I’ve seen. It plays games with not only Peter Parkers perception of reality, but that of the viewing audience as well. This movie is all about escape, wonder, adventure, heroism, drama, characters. This story dovetails off of Endgame and shows us what the world is like today after everything that happened in Endgame.
This
has to be one of my favorite Spider-Man movies ever made. I think one of the
main reasons I really enjoyed this story, and the movies in which Tom Holland
has played Spider-Man, is because we actually get to see Spider-Man as a kid
learning what it means to take on the responsibility of becoming a superhero.
They
gave us a mid-credit scene that is incredible… it changes everything you
thought you knew about what would be next for Spider-Man. SPOILER – It turns
things around and sets up Spider-Man to be the bad guy. Then, they take it one
step further and spill his identity to the world by broadcasting his name and
photo. So, make sure you stay to watch it!
Acting: ★★★★ Tom Holland is my Spider-Man! He feels completely natural in this role and does a great job.
I
loved that they brought in Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) because we only got a
little glimpse of him at the end of End Game. Samuel L Jackson just oozes control
and he plays the part of Nick Fury so well.
Jake
Gyllenhaal playing Quentin Beck (Mysterio) does a fantastic job… You believe him
as this hero fighting this massive enemy. You want him to win… you want him to
take Peter Parker under his wing, now that Iron Man is gone, and teach him
everything he knows… SPOILER – WRONG!!! He is so good a making you believe he
is the good guy and it just rips you apart when you find out you were wrong
about him the whole time.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“I
just want to go on my trip with my friends. Europe doesn’t really need a
friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” ~ Peter Parker
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
A New York cop and his wife go on a European
vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed
and on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire.
MY 2 CENTS:
Writing: ★★★ The writing is really the only
thing holding this film together and it wasn’t that great. It has a decent plot
– a New York cop and his wife go on a vacation they probably can’t afford and
they end up getting framed for the murder of a billionaire. I guess they would
have motive because they don’t have much money to start with, but come on.
Alternate Ending… There were hints at
the beginning of the film… Jennifer Aniston’s character commented on how her
husband, played by Adam Sandler, never listens. She has wanted to go on this
vacation for years. In fact, it’s their honeymoon, but they have been married
for a pretty long time already. Second hint… he was reading a murder mystery on
the plane – she loves them. Where, as an author, I thought the film should go
was that Adam Sandler was saving money for years, planning the perfect murder
mystery vacation for his wife. In the end we would find out it was all a big
game, just like in the movie The Game.
Nope, that isn’t what happened. You’ll
just have to watch it for yourself to see the disappointing end.
Cinematography: ★★★
There were some decent shots when they were in the car chase, but other than
that, the cinematography was nothing to write home about.
Story: ★★★ I thing I covered this when I was talking about the writing. I would have done things a bit different with the ending to allow for a plot twist that this movie failed to give the viewers.
Acting: ★★★ I’ve never been a huge fan of Adam Sandler;
he tends to yell to much in his films. However, he didn’t do that in this one.
No, in fact, he was very subdued. The acting wasn’t terrible, but it could have
been better.
I like Jennifer Aniston, I have since her
time on Friends, but she is a lot like Brad Pitt… nice to look at but a little
one noted when it comes to character development.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“All
women are actresses, dear. I’m just clever enough to get paid for it.”
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
View
the Official Trailers Here!
Scene
shot by shot with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and the rest of the cast!
Other movies with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston!
In
this third installment of the adrenaline-fueled action franchise, skilled
assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) returns with a $14 million price tag on his
head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail. After killing a member
of the shadowy international assassin’s guild, the High Table, John Wick is
excommunicado, but the world’s most ruthless hit men and women await his every
turn.
MY 2 CENTS:
Let’s
start with this… Keanu Reeves is going to be 55 years old later this year,
September 2nd to be exact. Now, I’m not saying 55 is old, because it
isn’t. However, I’m not even close to 55 yet and there is no way I’d have the
energy it must have taken to do that role. Nor do I have the amazing abs that
Keanu has… I’d love to know his workout routine because come on, it is bikini
season after all.
I
joked with my husband, as we left the theatre. I said, I bet if you took everything
except the dialog out of the script, you’d be left with about 5 pages. There
was virtually no dialogue in this movie. Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t bother
me. You don’t really go to a Keanu Reeves movie to hear him talk… he is eye
candy, plain and simple. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t dive into his characters,
he does. He gave 110% to the role of John Wick and I can’t wait to see the next
one. Chapter 3 left the story open for another sequel and I’m sure fans of all
ages, like me, will be lining up to see it.
This
movie will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. The action starts
the moment the lights go out and doesn’t stop until the credits start rolling.
Seriously, the fighting is insane… Its raw, with the grit of the Jason Bourne movies
and the improvisation of real life. I love how they didn’t pretend that their guns
had an endless supply of bullets; numerous times throughout the movies the
characters had to stop fighting to change out their magazines. No more bullets,
that’s ok just throw the gun at his head. Can’t find a weapon, no problem just run
to the nearest antiquities shop and start tossing around daggers and hatchets.
Probably
the best action film series I’ve seen in a while. No, there isn’t much there in
terms of story…
His
wife dies… he gets a dog… the dog gets killed… he goes on a killing spree
Yup,
that pretty much sums up all three stories.
I’m
not going to tell you who gets hurt, who dies, who disappears, or who gets
excommunicado, you’ll have to watch the movie to get all the gruesome details. Trust
me, it is worth the watch!
Don’t
wait until you can rent this one at home – See it on the big screen!
CHARACTERS
I’m
not going to talk about John Wick… If you’re going to see the film you already
love his character. I want to talk about two of the characters that I felt
really stole the screen whenever they were on.
Lance Reddick who played Charon – the man who worked the front desk at the Continental Hotel. He was fantastic!!!
Randall Duk Kim the actor who played the doctor that helped John sew up his shoulder five minutes before his status of excommunicado was in effect. When he pulled out his gun and handed it to Wick so that he could shoot him it was powerful… emotional… and a sign of the honest friend he was. I thought his role, although small, was extremely well written. That had to be one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie.
MY FAVORITE QUOTES:
“If
you want peace, prepare for war.” ~ Winston
Check out my YouTube channel and the video
review below… and make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss a video.
Nina Soden 