I've told you all that my daughter is the B Horror Movie Queen. She has seen them all, including this one. In addition, my son has played the video game, which actually came BEFORE the movie. So far, I have managed to avoid it all, until now.
I was given my homework, you see. We knew we would be attending Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. My daughter and I went for the first time last year and IT WAS AWESOME. I can't even describe how awesome it was. This year, there has been much researching done in the Nawrot household on the particulars of each haunted house, and one of them is based on this movie.
The premise is pretty convoluted. I'm not even totally sure I get all of it. But we have a little girl who was adopted by a young couple. The girl sleepwalks and has nightmares, and often screams "silent hill" in her sleep. So her mother decides to take her to a nearby ghost town called Silent Hill to see if she can get to the bottom of things. As soon as she enters the town, she has an auto accident and is knocked unconscious. When she awakens, her daughter is gone, and she walks into town to find her.
So, I don't know, there are ashes that fill the air and stories of an underground mining explosion that caused the town's ultimate demise. Not everyone can see these ashes (mother can, father can't) and there is some significance to this fact. An indication of alternate universes? There is a religious cult hiding here, and the little girl has ties to this town's evil past. I'm not even going to dwell on the details, because...whatever. When the cult came into the picture, it got a little stupid for me. Sometimes it is just best not to try to OVER-EXPLAIN, because in this case it was a buzz kill.
The attraction, if that is what you want to call it (I know many of you would NOT!) are the horrifying visuals. There are creatures (zombies? not sure) that are hiding and waiting to wreak havoc. Iconic, horrifying things. Like these nurses above, or as you can see below, a blinded, contorted dude, or PYRAMID HEAD! He is a scary scary guy, slinging around a knife/machete thing that has to be six feet long, and has the special skill of ripping the skin off people. I'm fairly immune to horror, but these ghouls creeped me out.
From a movie perspective, they brought me down when they tried to be smart. The crazy visuals didn't jive with the "story", although I'm sure that some 16 year-old out there could explain it all to me. I personally couldn't reconcile all the information coming at me. Just be quiet and let me cower under my blankey.
But as a haunted house? It had serious potential...the possibilities were endless. Unfortunately, while the haunted house was good, it didn't take advantage of all the effects. Pyramid Head wasn't even there! They made up for it with buxom zombie nurses I guess...
Movie: 3 out of 5 stars
Haunted House Potential: 5 out of 5 stars
Good morning my friends and fellow bloggers! Another busy week on this end, including Homecoming Week and dance for my daughter, a 9 mile run with my running partner, a 5K on Saturday, and another blowout football game (36-0) for my son. On the flip side, I did have one day this week where my husband implored me to "take the day off from working out before you collapse", since it really is generally a 7-day-a-week thing these days. So I cleaned the house and then just...took a nap. Sometimes I need to be smacked out of my fervor.
*Beginning of rant * I did want to mention (not the first time, I'm sorry) that I am fed up with the election. As one of the swing states, we are battered with these awful TV ads (and mailings, and rallys), rarely with any of them making any points about the issues (and if they do, they seem to all contradict each other, so somebody's lying). Then there was that debate, which, no comment. So last night after a glass of wine and one of my husband's drinks, I read the 30,000th freaking Facebook political statement, and I threw a momma fit. I'm turning off Facebook for the next month. There are people...they know who they are...who post something nasty and slanderous every 23.5 minutes on FB. Do they really THINK they are going to change my mind? Really? Or are they just taking pleasure in being obnoxious? So in order to preserve my sanity and these friendships, I'm observing a Political Lent until after the election. I love all my FB friends, but I'd really like to hear what they are doing, see pictures of their garden or their families, not having my nose rubbed in hate and snark. I know it is a free country people, but please, check yourself. This election has divided this country like I've never seen before. Those at the helm of both sides should be ashamed of themselves. *Rant over*
So in the reading department, I absolutely blew through Emily Giffin's audio of "Where We Belong" which was the selection for this month's book club. I would NOT have chosen such a book to read, so I was pleasantly surprised that while the plot was completely unrealistic and way too predictable, it was a pleasant, easy read. It soothed my brain. I'm now almost half-way through "Shine Shine Shine". You all know I love Joshilyn Jackson, who narrates this one. Her voice and mannerisms are delightful, and she makes me laugh. But the plot is really confusing to me. I'm struggling, but I'm determined to make it through.
In the category of physical books, I finished Nesbo's "Phantom" the night before I was due to post my review. That was close! Been awhile since I've cut it that close. I'm now about half-way through "The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D." by Nichole Bernier, and it has been an engrossing, thought-provoking read so far.
So, next weekend is Dewey's Readathon! And I'm just thinking about it now. We have STUFF going on all day Saturday, but I'm thinking that I could at least do some concentrated reading that evening. If I withdraw myself to my mom's house next door, that helps too. Something to think about! Are any of you participating?
There is a high chance of relaxation today, after a run and some church. Floating, reading. A girl can at least try right?
As most of you know, I attended SIBA for the third year in a row this year. I absolutely love the environment at this event...it is small and intimate. Unlike some of the bigger trade shows, there are virtually no lines for anything, and it is likely that you will see your favorite author at a cocktail party or walking the floor talking to publishers. For the last two years, we (the bloggers) have even had the privilege of taking a few out to dinner!
The person in charge of all of this awesomeness is Wanda Jewell. She is a firm supporter of bloggers, and has an established relationship with Kathy (Bermudaonion), who may have been the first blogger to attend SIBA and pave the way for the rest of us. In the past, Wanda has invited all interested bloggers and waived our entrance fees, and has only asked that we support indie booksellers by linking to the SIBA Indie Bookstore Directory on our blogs. She has been thrilled with the interaction between bloggers, authors and publishers. But she still sees potential in what we have to offer, especially in expanding relationships between bloggers and bookstores. She has a vision of the future when it comes to indies and bloggers that not only applies to SIBA bookstores, but indies everywhere, and I wanted to share it with you.
Why? BECAUSE I WANT YOU ALL TO COME! And so does Wanda. Do you live in California, Michigan or New York? No problem. Wanda does not care about state boundaries. She just wants indies to win.
So if you are interested in attending in the future (next year is in New Orleans, the following year in Daytona Beach), here is Wanda's vision:
* Keep the SIBA indie link widget on our blogs, above the fold. There should be no affiliation with big box stores anywhere on or near your blog.
* Any time we are reviewing books that are SIBA OKRA picks, or is an "Author 'Round the South" and is having a promotional event, provide that information and a link.
* If you have an indie bookstore in your local area, reach out and develop a relationship with them. Encourage your local readers to support the store and their events, and if they have e-commerce, offer the option of purchasing books through them.
If you are like the Orlando bloggers, we have two used SIBA bookstores, and the indie stores offering new books are quite a distance away. Wanda feels that we can still support stores that are not necessarily within driving distance. The Internet makes everyone a neighbor.
There are endless possibilities of how we can support our indies, and this is just a beginning.
I know many of you already have a local bookstore you have partnered with. I'd love some ideas on how else we can support each other. But equally as important is the question...do you want to come to SIBA next year, and how can we get you there?
I am always happy to hear from Jill Ovren of AudioGo, because it usually means she is wanting to fulfill my Karin Slaughter fix! After listening to (and loving) Slaughter's latest "Criminal", Jill mentioned that she had a new mystery series on her hands, and did I want in? Usually I don't find about these series until there are 14 installments and I can't muster the energy, so I'm always excited to get in on the ground level.
Jill told me that this novel is the first installment, with a second coming out very soon. It is written by an accomplished Danish author with over 30 novels and children's books. Most of her work has been in the fantasy genre, but now is dipping into one of my favorite, mystery thriller.
Synopsis: Our heroine in this series is Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, a wife and a mother of two. While she loves her family, she also is drawn to save the world, which is one of her frailties that is causing some irritation in her marriage. One day she gets a call from an old friend from nursing school, Karin, asking for help. Karin gives her a key to a locker in a train station, where Nina finds a suitcase with a drugged, dehydrated 3 year-old boy inside. Obviously Karin got involved in something she couldn't handle, and is attempting to save this child. Is he a victim of kidnapping? Human trafficking? Nina can't possibly turn this child over to the authorities, where he will surely get lost in the system.
When Nina finds out that Karin has been brutally murdered, Nina knows it must all be related. She must hide the child, find his mother, and avoid being killed...but what about her family? At this point she cannot contact them, even to let them know she is alive. Will she even have a family to come home to after it is all over?
My thoughts: This was a relatively short and fast-paced thriller, with plenty of action and intrigue. My biggest focus was on Nina...is she a strong enough character to command a series? I liked her. She is flawed, she is tough, she is driven by her principles. She wasn't fully developed here, but I'm willing to hear more.
I can't say that I became attached to any of the other characters except for the child. Hard not to invest in a toddler who is scared and lost in a foreign country - my mother's heart was squeezed. With series however, sometimes you have to be patient and let the characterization develop over a period of time. I can't say I was all that attached to Lucas Davenport or Jack Reacher the first time I met them either.
So stay tuned. I see that "Invisible Murder" is the next in the series, due to be released any day, so I am hoping to receive this audio as well.
A few words about the audio production: The narrator for this audio was Katherine Kellgren. I've never listened to any of her work before, but I did not have a favorable experience here. Her voice came across very harsh and cold to me, although I did get used to it after awhile.
Listening length: 8 hours, 46 minutes (313 pages)
3 out of 5 stars
Last week I talked a little about walking around on the side streets South of Broad. Just to give you a flavor of what you might spy down one of these side streets, here is a peek through one of Charleston's famous iron gates. If you were wealthy enough to live down in this area, you might have your own uniquely-designed gate. In the shops around town, there is actually jewelry inspired by the gates (I have a ring that resembles one, I'm not sure which). Check out this blog post. It all really inspires a fantasy.
I probably don't need to tell you all at this point that I am more than a little obsessed with Jo Nesbo and his Harry Hole series. Hey, I sat and stared at a man on a flight from Copenhagen to Bergen, convinced it was HIM. Who knows, maybe it was? But I was too scared to approach him and make a fool out of myself, all drooling and tongue-tied.
My day/week/year was made when Kathy (Bermudaonion) sent me an ARC of Nesbo's latest "Phantom". It launches this week and I am here to convince all of you that if you have not jumped on this bandwagon, then you need to quickly. Did you know Martin Scorcese has signed up to direct the film version of "The Snowman"? Which I am sure is going to be a success, and who knows where it will go from there.
Unfortunately however, I'm not sure how much I can tell you about this specific book. What can I say to lure you in? Just about anything specific I would tell you would be a spoiler, but I'm going to try my hand at a (Norwegian) tap dance.
Synopsis: After fairly cataclysmic results of his experience in "The Leopard", Harry retreats to Hong Kong to heal and to dry himself out from the latest of many battles with the bottle. Several years has passed, he has moved on with his life, but then is called back to Oslo because of a closed case of one drug addict murdering another. This case may of be some interest to Harry because it is personal. Harry has no doubt that the convicted murderer has been unjustly accused. But digging around to get answers may stir up a hive of dangerous element...drug kingpins, homicidal thugs-for-hire, drug addicts, ambitious politicians...they all have to take a number to get in line to take out Hole. He is just too obsessive, too dogged, too disturbed to let sleeping dogs lie.
In the most personal, most solitary story in the series by far, Harry fights for what he believes in, for what he loves. Characters that we have come to expect to make their appearance in the Harry Hole series are on the periphery. This is Harry's struggle and his war, both internally and with the world, with the damaged and weary but beloved man walking the thinnest of lines between brilliance and utter failure.
My thoughts: Well. So...I am not sure what I can say. I loved it? I hated it? I threw the book across the room when I finished, like it was covered in something repulsive? I have thought of nothing else since I turned that last page?
Nesbo is clever. He is always full of surprises. With each novel, he introduces new and creative ways to torture and kill people (this one is no different, toying with bricks and spacesuits). He always has at least a half dozen red herrings to keep you guessing. You never know what is going on, ever. If you think you do, then just prepare yourself because you will most likely be wrong. He has created an anti-hero that makes you want to simultaneously hug him and smack him in the head. He has given the anti-hero a conscience, a heart, and demons that make him as fragile as hand-blown glass. He is tall and attractive, he is scarred, he throws up a lot and usually smells. I mean, what the hell?
But this takes the cake. Really. I am left speechless.
In the spirit of reading a series, I'd advise that you NOT start with this one. The best option would be to start at "The Redbreast" (the first book that was translated to English) and work your way through all seven of them. But if you don't have the patience, at least read the last couple. (Maybe start with "The Snowman" since it will be a movie).
For another (better written) opinion on this book, go visit Rhapsody Jill. Who read the book before me, was having spasms from wanting to discuss, which in turn made me a little insane. Oh the flurry of e-mails that have gone back and forth on this one...
Now because Harry would want me to, I'm going to go have a drink.
4.5 out of 5
Call this movie another impromptu Netflix streaming event for my husband and I. I guess I always thought it was political in nature (not sure why) so I avoided it. I get enough political headaches in real life living in Florida. But as we scrolled through the options one night, we lingered on the cast of this one...holy cow. Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alan Arkin...really?
As normal, before the movie was fully booted up, I did a little research on IMdB and Wiki, and learned a few interesting things. The movie was based on a Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning play that ran in 1984. The movie is notorious for it's foul language, so much that the cast, amongst themselves, called the movie "Death of a F-ing Salesman". (For the record, 138 f-bombs, or number 45 on the list of most f-bomb movies.) It didn't experience much commercial success, but the critics loved it, and Al Pacino was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role.
Alrighty then! That was just enough fun to spark my interest. The overall premise is pretty simple. We are shown, over a period of two days, the lives of four men selling questionable real estate, scrapping and schticking innocent "victims" to invest. They are stressed, exhausted, and working all hours of the day and night. The heat is cranked up a notch or two when a trainer from corporate (Baldwin) comes in to motivate them to try harder, and announces that in another week all but the top two salesmen are going to get pink slips.
The office becomes a total pressure cooker, ready to blow. Personalities start to emerge, some of the salesmen get desperate to save their jobs, and turn to less than upstanding measures to do so. This is where the acting kicks in and gets gritty. Al Pacino, who plays the office's top deal "closer", is smooth, a dangerous, volatile player. He is SUCH a pleasure to watch. I've been on a bit of a Pacino kick lately.
Another salesman (Arkin) seems to accept his doomed fate with tired resignation, and wants little to do with the shenanigans. The other two (Lemmon and Harris) start to spin out of control...you can literally see their wires frying.
So the movie isn't so much an action flick as much as it is a display of acting talent, thespians strutting their stuff and flexing their muscles. All at once! All of that mojo oozing and commingling on the same screen. Good stuff. But I can totally understand why this was not a blockbuster, a crowd-pleaser. Not everybody's going to like the profanity, or the lack of car chases, or the lack of a resolved ending. But if you want to watch some masters doing their thing, it isn't a bad way to spend an hour and a half.
4 out of 5 stars
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