MOVIE REVIEW: Leap!

 

This is the story of a young girl who, having grown up in an orphanage, runs away to Paris to try to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. In the process, she meets a woman who becomes a mother figure, and learns what it means to be true to the people she cares about.

A 2016 animated film, this features Elle Fanning (Dakota Fanning’s older sister) as the voice of the main character Felicie, and Carly Rae Jepsen (finalist in 2003 Canadian Idol television show) as Odette, her coach. A collaboration between French and Canadian studios, this is a solid, wonderful movie about working toward dreams and the price of success. This is highly recommended for family night.

BOOK REVIEW: Fatal Cure by Robin Cook

 

Originally published in 1994, this follows a man and wife team of doctors, fresh out of medical school, who leave the big city to move to what is apparently an ideal community, Bartlett, Vermont. There they hope that, not only will their careers be stable enough to pay off the enormous debt they have incurred for their education, but also that their young daughter, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, will be in an environment where her lungs will be able to heal. But soon they discover that Bartlett is not all it’s cracked up to be. Strange deaths begin to claim patients at the hospital where they are working, while the HMO that has almost complete charge over the hospital can think only of how much money is being spent. Add to this a sheriff that is completely unconvinced and unwilling to believe that the attacks on their lives and property are real, and this makes for a very tense and entertaining medical mystery drama. There are quite a few undefined medical terms in this that the layman may not understand completely, but this does not take away from the story. A good one for a light read beside the fire on a cold winter night.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Dustwalker

 

This is an Australian film that was released in 2019 for television consumption in that country. It concerns a small town in the outback of Australia that is basically isolated from contact with the outside world. When a strange object from space lands in the desert near it, several people in the town start turning into mindless killing machines. It is up to the female sheriff, a schoolteacher, a doctor, and four young people just out of their teens to try to make sure someone stays alive to fight the alien presence that has appeared.

The only actor in this that might be recognizable to US audiences is Jolene Anderson, who plays the sheriff, and who was also in the 2019 film Prey. The rest of the cast is made up of Australian performers that have spent their careers almost exclusively in the studios down under. This does not mean that they are anything but fantastic, however. The screenplay of this one is a little understated due to the fact that, though Aussie television standards are somewhat more liberal than in the US, certain aspects still have to be pared down to some extent. For this reason, there is no gore, no erotica, and very little strong language. There is, however, plenty of suspense and terror, which makes for a very watchable and entertaining horror movie.

BOOK REVIEW: The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

 

In a possible future, anyone who is murdered ends up coming back in a confused but whole state. Taking advantage of this, the government trains people to become what is termed Dispatchers, who kill people that are in a state of inevitable death so they will come back. Tony Valdez, a trained Dispatcher, finds himself in the middle of police investigation of a friend’s disappearance.

This is an audio novella, an Audible original, narrated by Zachary Quinto. It is a testament to both the writing and the talent of Quinto that this is extremely entertaining and fully addicting. Once the play button is pushed, be ready for hours of suspense and thrills in another place and time. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Boo

 

Four teenagers decide to spend Halloween exploring an abandoned mental hospital. Little do they know that there are still residents in the building, and they want out at any cost.

This is a horror film that was originally released at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival in 2018 to mainly favorable reviews. It was released on a limited basis in theaters in 2019. It is the typical teenage fright fest, with the four friends encountering the vengeful spirit of a child molester named Jacob that wants out of the hospital where he lost his life. Most of the cast are newcomers, with the delightful exception of Dee Wallace (the mom in ET: The Extraterrestrial), who plays the ghost of Nurse Russell, the one obstacle to Jacob’s escape. There is body reanimation, gory attacks, and general mayhem as one after the other of the friends is killed and taken over by Jacob. There is also humor, supplied by Dig Wayne as a former actor turned cop, who follows an old friend into the hospital to look for other missing teens. Actually, this is an extremely passable movie, as the script allows for empathy with the characters, and you find yourself actually rooting for the young people and cheering the ghost of Nurse Russell. A very good Halloween treat.

BOOK REVIEW: The False Prince by James Fuller

 

Set in a world where people born with the ability to control magic are called the Gifted, this is a story of love, deception, and loyalty. Beginning with the arranged marriage of a princess to the prince of a neighboring kingdom, it follows a group of friends through a series of events that reveals that the prince in question is not who he pretends to be, and the downfall of the kingdom that they all have given their loyalty to. A book written on a large scale, and with unexpected twists and turns, this is excellent faire for any fantasy fan. There is a small problem with syntax and punctuation, but this is probably due to the fact that the author lives in Canada, and the rules for writing may be a little different from the US. But, that aside, this is an exceptional read, and I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.

MOVIE REVIEW: Firestarter

 

This is the 2022 remake of the 1984 film, and, though the main events are the same, bears little resemblance to either the original movie or the novel on which they are both based. This one stars Zac Efron as Andy McGee, the father of a young girl, named Charlie (short for Charlene), who has powerful pyrokinetic abilities. In flashbacks it is learned that both Andy and his wife, Vicky, participated in a drug study in college. They were told that the chemical they were to be injected with was a hallucinogen, but was actually a compound that was being experimented with that enhanced psychic attributes. Charlie is the next generation result of the experiment. Because of this, the government is desperate to get their hands on her, with the results being that they murder Vicky, and Andy, together with his daughter, end up fugitives. After running across the country, they are finally captured. But, can anyone control Charlie’s powers, including Charlie herself?

Charlie is played in this version by the young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who does an excellent job of portraying a girl who is just coming into puberty and has an ability within her that may destroy everything and everyone around her. There is also a fine performance by Michael Greyeyes, who plays Rainbird, a bounty hunter who is assigned to track down the girl and her father, and who seems to have the only chance of even getting close to teaching her how to control her powers. There are some major changes in this film compared to the original one, including the difference in the character of the older couple who take the pair of refugees under their wing and were played by Art Carney and Louise Fletcher, though Kurtwood Smith does a fine job with the version of the part he is given. There are no erotic scenes and not much strong language in this, but the violence is very substantial. Older children may be able to identify with young Charlie, but small children would not be a recommended audience.