MOVIE REVIEW: The Black Phone

 

Set in the 1970s, this follows a young boy who gets abducted by a serial child killer. During his imprisonment, he starts getting calls from a black wall phone that isn’t connected to the outside world, these evidently coming from the previous victims of his captor. They lead him through a series of escape attempts, and teach him confidence against a seemingly insurmountable foe.

This film features a young actor named Mason Thames as the boy that is kidnapped, Madeleine McGraw as his sister, and Ethan Hawke as the psychotic child killer who goes by the name of The Grabber. The cast also includes Jeremy Davies as the boy’s father. It has a couple of scenes of physical child abuse, but otherwise there is only the story of the boy trying to escape his tormentor, and there is very little strong language. This is good for pre-teens, teaching the importance of not trusting strangers and the necessity of fighting against their would-be abductor(s) if the need arises. Otherwise, it is a good, tense, suspenseful movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Well worth the watch.

BOOK REVIEW: Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 

A continuation of the story of the Land of Oz, this one brings Dorothy back to the Emerald City by way of the Land of Ev. Shipwrecked after a storm at sea while accompanying her uncle to Australia, Dorothy encounters a beautiful but outrageously vain princess, meets a mechanical man, and squares off against the Nome King. All of this happens with the fun, wit, and charm of Baum's usual writing, and is a delight to the storytelling senses. If anything, this one ends far too soon. Good thing there are other books following.

MOVIE REVIEW: Cloverfield

 

This is a 2008 film by the Bad Robot studios headed by J.J. Abrams, director and producer of the first two Star Trek reboot movies. A “found video” genre film, this concerns a group of friends in New York that end up running for their lives when an alien lifeform crashes into the city. As they navigate the place that they once called home, they are attacked by parasites coming off the huge alien, have to deal with other refugees and the military, and try to save the girlfriend of one of the group from a demolished building. It is a thrill ride that has very little time to catch one’s breath, much less really understand that is actually going on. The only actor that will probably be even recognizable in this is Tim Griffin, who plays the officer in charge of the military unit the survivors run into, and who has been in everything from NCIS: New Orleans to The Bourne Supremacy. The rest were virtual unknowns when this movie was made, but that only adds to the realism. There are many scary moments, as well as a little gore and strong language, but, in all, this is an enthralling and completely spellbinding time.

BOOK REVIEW: Jungle Pilot by Russell T. Hitt

 

This is the story of pilot Nate Saint who, along with four other missionaries, was massacred while trying to evangelize to a tribe of indigenous people in Ecuador. This follows his life through childhood and service in the military, to his joining Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF), moving his family to Ecuador, and his efforts to spread the gospel and witness to the people there. This is an entertaining and tender story of a young man who felt within his heart that giving his life to such an effort was truly his destiny. Written to be easy to read and understand, this is a great story of courage, determination, and dedication to a cause. The story of Nate Saint is extremely inspirational, especially to those who may be thinking about a life in the missionary field.