Archive for the ‘Review’ Category

Review: Carrie (2013 film)

Posted: October 19, 2013 in Review, Scary Stuff
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Ever since I heard that this film was being made, I’ve been excited for it. Over the past few days, my behavior has been pretty close to that of a Belieber right before a Justin Beiber concert, I’ve been so excited. And this evening I went to the movies after dinner and sat in the best seat in the house. Afterwards, I struggled to find a phrase or a sentence, some way to describe the Carrie remake. I hit on it on the way home:

This is not like any version of Carrie you’ve ever seen before.

And I mean that. The storytelling, the acting, the music, and the special effects go together perfectly to create an awesome Halloween movie. Even when I knew something was going to happen, from plot points to scares, I was totally freaked out.

I’ll start with the acting, because that was just phenomenal. It’s amazing to watch Carrie White, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, go from a shy, terrified girl to someone who’s starting to come into her own power and rebel. Then at the climax of the movie, she doesn’t just become an angry telekinetic girl. She becomes Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge, and an angry witch upon her dais emerges to reap what has been sown. Afterwards, broken by all the pain and misery, she become a little girl again, wanting only love. And when she can’t get that, she looks for peace.

Julianne Moore was also great. You sensed she cared for Carrie, but the way she played Margaret White as a delusional woman with vacant eyes and a propensity for self-flagellation even in public was positively spooky. Honestly, she could win an award for playing Margaret and putting the “mental” in fundamentalist. In addition, all the other actors were great in their roles. I truly got the sense that Sue Snell, played by Gabriella Wilde, made me feel her remorse as the one girl who regretted hurting Carrie, while Portia Doubleday embodied the entitled bitch that was Chris Hargensen. And Judy Greer, you get a nod for really seeming like you cared for Carrie, comforting her while also making sure that no one would hurt her further. I can see why Carrie left your character alive. You made us believe she deserved not to die.

The next aspect was the storytelling. In this version of Carrie they actually included parts not seen in other adaptations of Carrie, including the love between Sue and Tommy Ross and what that love results in, the destruction of the town, and even the flying rocks make an appearance in the story (though not in the way we might expect). The filmmakers were also able to work the Information Age seamlessly into the plot, using a video of Carrie’s first period to the greatest effect. The only thing added in that I didn’t care for was the bath scene at the end. Honestly, there’s no bath scene in the book, and we already get Carrie covered in blood in the shower. Why do we need it again in the bathtub?

You don’t want to mess with this Carrie!

Now for the music, it was terrifying and vivid. It matched every moment and I felt it adding to my terror during certain parts of the film. And the special effects were better than everything we’ve ever seen in a Carrie adaptation. The destruction at prom had everyone in the theater on the edge of their seats and the showdown between Chris Hargensen, Billy Nolan, and Carrie is like watching Titans battling each other! I couldn’t believe any of it was done with computers or wires, because it all seemed so real and terrifying to me. The only thing I didn’t like was the blood that fell on Carrie’s head. I thought it looked more like corn syrup or Jell-O that hadn’t yet solidified than blood, but maybe that’s just me.

Am I using the word terrifying too much?

This lady deserves the Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Doesn’t matter. Honestly, I want to buy the DVD when it comes out, because this was one freaking epic horror film and I loved every minute of it. For the 2013 adaptation of Carrie, I give it a 5 out of 5. Congratulations to the cast, the crew, including director Kimberly Pierce, and a special congratulations Stephen King, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Julianne Moore. King made a wonderful story that will last long after he has left the Earth (hopefully that won’t happen anytime soon) and I think Moretz and Moore could easily win Oscars for this one. It’s just that good, so go and see it if you get the chance. You will not regret it.

The Quiet Game: Review #5

Posted: October 18, 2013 in Living and Life, Review, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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Last night a review for The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones appeared on Amazon. This was a very nice 4-star review, keeping the average on Amazon a 4 out of 5. And it was written by my dear old father, affectionately called Abba. Here’s what my dad had to say:

This is not my genre, but since I know the author [:-)], I read the stories.  Each one was very unique and created its own atmosphere and mood.  My favorite story was the Quiet Game but I found the ending a little confusing since I didn’t really know the literary reference at the end; what I loved was the world created in the story and the message it conveyed.  I look forward to the author’s improving his craft, and I will certainly read more.

Well Abba, since you didn’t know the reference, let me tell you that Puck is a fairy or spirit from English folklore who’s considered a very nasty trickster. Don’t cross him if you ever meet him, because he’s just as likely to give you a winning lottery ticket as he is to give you an atomic wedgie. And I’d rather not see that on Facebook.

Also, thanks for uploading that review. It means a lot to me, and there’s good news. Since Reborn City is coming out soon, you can look forward to me hounding you to read that in two weeks’ time! Yay more fiction from your son to read out of obligation as a father! I’m kidding, I bet you can’t wait to read it.

I’m always happy to hear from readers, so whether you liked The Quiet Game or hated it, I don’t mind hearing from you about it. And if you’re interested in reading The Quiet Game; Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, you can read it on Amazon and Smashwords. Have a lovely day.

Review: Miley Cyrus on Saturday Night Live

Posted: October 6, 2013 in Review
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Just to clarify, this is her turn as host (and musical guest) on the show’s thirty-ninth season.

Based on last week’s episode with Tina Fey, I was afraid that this week’s show would be absolutely terrible. Well apparently they read my review, because they really stepped it up this week! I’m not kidding, they made me forget that they started twenty-seven minutes late due to college football games and gave one of the best shows in a while!

First off, Miley was great. I think she may have actually learned her lesson from the VMAs…especially since they made fun of it throughout the cold open and the monologue. Every skit she just made me laugh so hard I could not help but enjoy myself. The other actors were great as well. Cecily Strong is really coming into her role as a new anchor on Weekend Update, with the right zingers and the perfect smile. Jay Pharaoh is great in any impersonation, making me wonder if it’s him or the actual person he’s doing an impression of. One of these days he shoud do an impression of Dr. Seuss. That would be crazy. And Vanessa Bayer is always hilarious, even when her poetry teacher sounds like her Miley impersonation (and you know she does that in the show). I wonder how she felt about Miley trying to eat her hair?

The sketches were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Each one was different and funny and original all at the same time. Even when I thought a sketch would be dumb, it actually was pretty awesome. I loved the auditions for the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation and that parody music video on the Republican Party (that should be a single on iTunes). The cheerleading sketch was so goofy but plenty of sci-fi fun, and the poetry sketch was a laughter fest. But probably the best (and most original and quirky sketch) was with featured player Kyle Mooney and Miley trying to have sex in his office. Laugh out loud hysterical.

Great job this weekend, writers of SNL. You really pulled through with some really great sketches. However, I must tell you that Piers Morgan would be totally awesome if he was actually a village idiot from Ohio. After all, our state university’s football team is 18-0 these past two years, and the village idiots often become the breakthrough engineers and doctors of our generations. The only exception is John Boehner, who is still apparently the village idiot.

I’m not a Miley Cyrus fan, so I can’t really comment on her music, but I thought she did very well and that her clothes were tasteful. Definite good points in my book.

For all that I’ve listed above, I give Miley Cyrus’s second turn on SNL a 4.8 out of 5. You go girl! Hope to see more performances like this in the future (and I’m talking to both Miley and the writers/cast of SNL right now. The former, I want you to stop before you go full breakdown and become a real icon and legend that didn’t peak a few years after leaving Disney. To the latter, I hope you continue to write good sketches and keep the show going for at least two more years).

I won’t be doing another SNL review until Lady Gaga’s as yet unscheduled turn as host and musical guest on the show. I will however do a couple of reviews next week with American Horror Story: Coven and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. They both sound interesting, so I’ll review them.

Until then, good night everybody!

Review: Tina Fey on SNL’s 39th Season Premiere

Posted: September 29, 2013 in Review
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Slightly underwhelming.

I’m sorry, but I’m going to come out and say it, this episode wasn’t the best it could be. When you consider the huge shake-up in the cast–three veterans leaving and a fourth leaving at Christmas, plus three featured players getting upgraded to repertoire player and six new featured players–they should’ve done their best to create a hilarious show. Instead most of the sketches revolved around silly little gags and not enough substance from each actor and actress, who’s comedic talents seemed wasted in this episode.

Look at me, I’m asking for substance in comedy from a show that will make poop jokes! But seriously, the writers in this episode weren’t able to deliver this time.

I can’t really say if any actors stood out to me. Cecily Strong did great on her first appearance as an anchor on Weekend Update (let me tell you, she deserves the gig after her “Girl At A Party You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With” became a season favorite), and I bet she’ll do great when she goes solo in January, but I would’ve liked to see her interact with a new Weekend Update guest just to help her settle into her new role. Tina Fey didn’t really get a chance to show her talents after the monologue if you ask me, which I think is sad considering that Sarah Palin’s still out there and still saying things that could easily be made into a five-minute sketch. And the only one of the new cast members who really stood out to me (partly because I’m still getting used to all the new faces) was Kyle Mooney, but mostly because when he showed up on Weekend Update, the lighting and his slicked-back hair worked together so that he looked slightly like a talking mannequin.

Arcade Fire’s not really my kind of music, so I’m probably better off not making a judgment call on them. Also, Aaron Paul makes an appearance in several sketches promoting Breaking Bad‘s season finale…or meth, it could be that too. And the best sketch of the night was early on, in the Cold Open. After the monologue, it doesn’t get much better.

The Saturday Night Live season 39 season premiere gets a 2.6 out of 5 for me. Better make the next episode with Miley Cyrus better, or we may not get to season 40. I’ll be reviewing that episode too, by the way. Miley was great the last time she was on, but she wasn’t that much of a wreck when she was on last time, so it’ll be interesting to see how she does post-MTV meltdown.

Review: Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Series Premiere

Posted: September 24, 2013 in Review
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God, that’s a long name for a TV show. Oh, and before you read any further, the following review contains multiple spoiler alerts. Reader discretion is advised.

At first I thought this show would seem like a bad Marvel version of Torchwood*. And it’s definitely the Marvel version of Torchwood. Agent that came back from the dead under mysterious circumstances, team that all seems full of problems, saving the world from weird stuff the public shouldn’t be anywhere near. Heck, their character for diversity’s sake is a female Asian agent who doesn’t always do the field work in the ops! All you need is a dinosaur and two guys making out and BBC can sue.

That said, it’s not bad, and it’s certainly got a lot going for it. Each agent seems to be not just stereotypes (though Ward and May on the surface seem like it), but there is room for plenty of character development. The Marvel gadgets are in supply and there’s even some cool techy stuff near the end of the first episode. Plus just from this episode, we can see room for plenty of original stories that may or may not cross over into upcoming Marvel movies. And there’s plenty of self-referential humor and speculation on the various superheroes in this kooky show. There’s appropriate humor when it’s needed, a few enjoyable twists, and plenty of chemistry among this still-raw cast. I’d like to see where this show goes.

For the first episode, I give Agents of SHIELD a 3.9. I’ll watch a few more episodes to see if they impress me. Good luck, Mr. Whedon, Marvel and Disney. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, but if it ends in an awesome series, it’ll be worth the work.

Join me Saturday night (or Sunday morning) for the Saturday Night Live season 39 premiere. Tina Fey’s hosting, and my keyboard’s ready for reviewing.

*Torchwood is a Doctor Who spin-off that aired from 2006 to 2011, it’s first season airing after the second season of Doctor Who, which involved an alien attack on London (sound familiar?). Starring John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, and Gareth David-Lloyd, the show revolved around a team of government agents based in Cardiff, Wales that investigated alien activity in the UK and was led by a guy who had a habit of coming back from the dead (does it sound familiar now?). Officially it’s on hiatus, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up of another season, especially since Barrowman’s on Arrow these days (based on a DC comic, to boot! So much irony).

Reviews: Sleepy Hollow Series Premiere & Under the Dome Season Finale

Posted: September 16, 2013 in Living and Life, Review, Scary Stuff
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Two reviews in one post. That’s a new one for me. But what do you expect from me? Two very interesting series having two significant events on the same night, one after the other? Of course I’m going to do a double review! So without further ado, let’s start the analysis and reviews:

Now that’s what I call graphics.

Sleepy Hollow
Based on the famous short story by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow is an updated version of the classic tale, where Ichabod Crane is a Revolutionary War hero instead of a teacher. Get this: he’s the one who beheaded the famous Headless Horseman. Now the Horseman’s back, and Ichabod’s returned from the grave to stop him…and whoever’s controlling him. With some Biblical themes mixed in, some good ol’ fashioned American legend and folklore, and some superb acting, I think this could be the start of a great series.

So far I have only two complaints: one is that Ichabod, played by actor Tom Milson, seems not as culture-shocked as you’d expect for an 18th century man finding himself in the year 2013…or as torn up over the death of his wife Katrina, who appears to him in a ghostly dream. Also, I have a feeling that the series’ producers are trying to create a mythology from the first episode. While I admire that, let’s hope they don’t shove it down our throats. Give us the mythology too quickly and viewers may be turned off from it.

Other than that, the show seems really great. The characters seem very real to me, and the chemistry between Ichabod and Sheriff Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) is already strong, like Mulder and Scully in some ways. Also the cast is very diverse, which both brings a little humor to the show (Ichabod is surprised that Abbie, who is a woman and African American, isn’t a slave and is instead a lieutenant, making everyone rolls their eyes or laugh with a knowing smile) and makes me think we’re actually making some progress in terms of race relations. Not much, but some. And the show is filmed in the actual town of Sleepy Hollow, New York. Yes, there’s an actual Sleepy Hollow. It changed its name from Tarrytown a few years back to honor the original Irving story, in which Sleepy Hollow is a part of the Tarrytown township or district or whatever. Who knew!

All in all, I’m giving Sleepy Hollow a 4.6 out of 5. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, and seeing whether this show can keep up the momentum or…you know what, I’m not even going to finish that sentence lest I jinx it. Let’s hope for the best.

Purists hate this show, but most seem to love it.

Under the Dome
In so many ways this show, based on the uber-long novel by Stephen King, who executive produced the show, departs from the original story. And as we saw tonight, it can sometimes stay true to the original tale. In the meantime, we’ve seen an incredible season. I was skeptical when I saw the first episode this summer (see the review here), but the story got better and better with every episode, taking the story in new directions, developing very real characters, and throwing in as many mysteries as it could without overwhelming viewers.

In a way, it’s really amazing how the show weaves in so many ideas and subplots and characters in a coherent narrative. That’s something I’d like to be able to do someday, and do it with ease as well. In any case, I’m not surprised that Under the Dome will be returning next summer for a second season, especially based on that very strange cliff-hanger of a season finale. If you haven’t gotten into the show yet, I suggest you look it up. Dean Norris from Breaking Bad could easily win an Emmy for his work on the show as town councilman James “Big Jim” Rennie, especially now that Bad‘s over and done with (at least I think it is. The series ended, right?). And Dale “Barbie” Barbara, the show’s lead played by Mike Vogel, looks underdeveloped as a character at first glance, but you find this bad-ass charm, mystery, and kindness on the second. I think it’ll be interesting to see what they do with him in the second season.

For the season finale, I give UTD a well deserved 4.6 out of 5. And for the entire first season…I’m awarding it a 4.8 out of 5, for taking a complicated story and a not-so-good start and making it one of the TV events of the summer. Yeah, I said that. Weep, Miley Cyrus. Your little freak-out on MTV didn’t hit my radar.

Expect more TV show reviews as new and exciting series, like Dracula or Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. begin this fall, and a few movies such as Carrie and Catching Fire come out. Not to mention the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, comes out this November. I cannot wait!

Well, that’s all for now. Hope to do my weekly exercises tomorrow. Good night everybody!

Review: Europa Report

Posted: September 5, 2013 in Review
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If it was Europa Report Card, I’d give it an F.

Not as good as I expected.

I was very curious about the film when I saw the trailer when I went to see Elysium. So when I finally got the chance to see it, I hoped it was as good as they were trying to make the film seem, which was a documentary/found-footage film that marries Paranormal Activity to modern astrobiology theories and science fiction.

Unfortunately, the filmmakers fail to do this. The film, which is about a manned mission to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons and the one that scientists believe cold possibly harbor life underneath its icy surface, chronicles from a number of placed cameras the trials and travails of the crew, especially when they finally get to Europa and find they’re not alone (obviously). The events aren’t always in chronological order, and there are a lot of interviews with representatives and scientists working for the company that funded the mission.

Is it a novel idea? Yes, to a certain degree. Is it a good thriller? Not really. The film takes too long to actually get to Europa, reveals who’s going to die too early to make the story very thrilling, and when we finally get to Europa’s surface, there’s more fascination with the scientific experiments than there is of the monster menacing the crew. By the time the focus of the film is to get away from the monster, who has not been revealed except for some deep-pink bio-luminescence underneath the ice, we are more annoyed with curiosity for what the creature is than what is happening to the crew, whose fate we basically have figured out and are bored with.

And when they finally reveal the monster…well, not so scary. In fact, it’s kind of stereotypical for alien movies where the alien is more monstrous than humanoid. It’d be scarier if it were modeled after Godzilla. Even the deep pink bio-luminescence couldn’t make that less terrifying.

All in all, Europa Report is so high on the science and documentary-style footage that its filmmakers forgot to make the film actually entertaining for the people going to see it. I give it a 2.6 out of 5. Don’t even bother to wait for it to come out on DVD. Trust me, it’s a waste of time.

The Quiet Game: 4th Review

Posted: September 3, 2013 in Review, short story, Writing
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I just recieved my fourth review for my collection of short stories, The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. This review comes from my aunt, Michele Siegal (actually, it says my uncle’s name on Amazon, but that’s because they have a joint account). The review, which gave the book 4 stars, went like this:

“This is the first time I’ve read any of Rami’s stories. I was very impressed with the wide variety of stories and the way he wove the paranormal into each piece. Paranormal is not something I usually read and I enjoyed this collection very much. The collection reminded me of the Twlight Zone. The descriptions were especially well developed. Keep on writing Rami!”

Thanks Aunt Michele! I’m glad you enjoyed the variety and the descriptions, and I’m flattered that you think I reminded you of The Twilight Zone. And with this review, I’m maintaining my 4.0 average on Amazon, which I’m very happy with. And with book sales slowly but steadily rising, I can only hope that more reviews will come.

If you decide to read The Quiet Game, please don’t hesitate to write a review, whether you enjoyed the book or not. I always appreciate feedback, positive or negative, and reviews really help indie writers such as myself move up in the world.

Hope you’re having as good a day as I am. If I have anything else to write, I’ll post it later in the day (and if I can get my homework done in a timely manner, I might just have something to write about).

Review: The Frozen Ground

Posted: August 29, 2013 in Review, Scary Stuff
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I first heard about this film from my boss at work. Her fiancé apparently was a cop in Alaska back in the eighties, and a certain case he’d worked was being made into a movie. It was the story of Robert Hanson, a serial killer who had taken several girls up to the woods in his plane and then killed them. The girls he took were prostitutes, whom he raped and murdered, and then took trophies from. He’s now serving 461 years plus life for his crimes.

Did I mention that the movie stars John Cusack as the killer, Vanessa Hudgens as the prostitute who escapes him and later identifies him, and Nicholas Cage as the cop who takes him down? If I haven’t, than I think I just did.

This movie is only available through select theaters and on-demand, but it could be good enough for a national release. Watching it, I find it hard to tell what’s Hollywood BS to spice up the story and what’s actually happened. It’s done so convincingly. You see actual emotions, characters who feel so real to the point that you forget you’re watching actors. Hudgens especially pulls off the role of a prostitute with a hard life very well. As she says at one point to Cage’s character, “I’ve had things happen to me…things no little girl should have happen to them.” For many girls on the street, that’s how they start out. Bad things happen to them, and it warps them, putting them into a role they don’t want but can’t shake. And the whole instinct of survival at any cost drives a lot of their actions, which is why Hudgens’ character does a lot of what she does, even if it defies logic sometimes.

At least, the logic of you or me.

The Frozen Ground also gains points for its dark and realistic portrayal of the police process back in the eighties. It’s a tough job, with sometimes very few leads and several roadblocks to getting justice. You can feel the frustration mounting as at certain points, these cops find themselves blocked in trying to take down Hansen. It’s like Law & Order, but only deeper and with even less Hollywood crap.

My few complaints is that many of the characters are undeveloped. We don’t really get a chance to understand Hansen or Cage’s character, and many of the other characters, especially characters on the force, don’t get their names used once in the movie (so I could not tell which character was my boss’s fiancé, sadly). It’s a cop drama, so not a lot of room to get into character development when a killer’s out on the loose, but still, could you spend a few hundred dollars filming some scenes that show us what motivates some of the other characters in this story? The only other characters whose heads I can get into is the pimp character played by 50 Cent, and that’s such a stereotype, it’s not even funny. Because hey, the black pimp has been used so much it’s a cliché.

Anyway, I was going to give The Frozen Ground a 4.3 out of 5, but Hudgens’ performance and the realism of the movie elevate it to a 4.8. If you get a chance, do go check out the movie. And stick around after the closing shots. You’ll see the captions “This film is dedicated to all the victims, known and unknown”, followed by photos of some of the known victims of Hansen.

And one more thing before I wrap this review up. The next time you see a girl on the streets turning tricks or you hear some pundit make some comment about prostitution on TV or the radio, remember that these girls aren’t doing what they’re doing, with little or no legal protection, health insurance, retirement plan, or guarantee of safety, just for the fun of it or the money. Many are forced into it for a variety of reasons. The least you can actually do is show these girls some compassion, and remember they are real women too.

The Quiet Game: Review #3

Posted: August 21, 2013 in Progress Report, Review, short story, Writing
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Today I logged onto The Quiet Game’s Amazon page and was surprised and pleased to see a new review there. Not only that, but it was a review from my grandfather, Richard Warren. Knowing him it probably took 20 minutes and plenty of coaching from either my grandmother or my mom to help him post the review, but thanks for taking the effort Grandpa. I always appreciate feedback.

Here’s what my grandfather had to say on The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, which he entitled five tales can be stronger and gave a 3-star review:

“These five tales are interesting. I read 3 stories one day & two the next. They held my interest, but I feel they could better, longer.”

Well Grandpa, the good news is that I’ve improved a bit from the time I’ve written these short stories, so the next time you read my work, I hope it’ll be a bit better then than it is now. As for the length, they’re short stories. They can only be so long before they turn into novellas. If I write another collection–and there’s always a possibility of that, so be on the lookout for future announcements–I hope to include more stories and possibly make them of a longer length. Who knows?

As for The Quiet Game, it is now currently holding a 4-star average and is still doing well. I’m pretty sure more copies will be sold by my next expected update, which will be September 17, exactly two months after the book’s publication. Until then, I’ll have plenty of things to occupy myself. Speaking of which, I have homework and laundry to take care of, so I’m going to get on that.

Until then, I’ll blog on you later, and once again, thanks to Grandpa for writing a review and giving his honest opinion. I appreciate it.

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