MOVIE REVIEW: Skinwalker

 

This is a 2021 film that went direct to DVD and streaming platforms. Its cast is made up of mainly unknown actors. It is a western with a supernatural twist that involves a US marshal and his deputy, who take into custody a woman that is married to a wanted outlaw, and a family of Mormons who find a man that is running from a tribe of Native American Indians after looting one of their graveyards. These two groups are brought together, and it is discovered that the graverobber has taken a sacred totem that kept the spirit of an evil witch in her grave, thus releasing an entity that can possess any and all who come into contact with it. Written, directed and produced by Robert Conway, best known for his work on the Krampus horror trilogy, this is a small film that is nonetheless entertaining for not only the horror crowd, but also those who love a good old-fashioned western. Lots of violence, but no erotica and very little strong language makes this passable for older children.

BOOK REVIEW: A Rip in Time by Jeff Gunzel

 

Taking place in a world where supernatural beings are common, a young girl is found that is a mixture of races. Though she is innocent of her heritage, and the powers that this brings to her, the future may hinge on her existence. Now she is in danger, as the many different races attempt to claim her as their own. Can she be saved by those who have vowed to protect her, or will she prove too dangerous even for them?

This book relies mostly on action and suspense to tell its story, but there are some erotic and torture scenes in it. For this reason, it may not be a good selection for the young adult audience. However, it is an extremely good effort and well worth the time. It is the first in a series. Looking forward to the continuation of the epic. 

MOVIE REVIEW: Jurassic World: Dominion

 

This is the third entry into the Jurassic World trilogy, that being the second film trilogy about live dinosaurs that have been brought back into the world through modern genetic tampering. In this, the dinosaurs that were inadvertently let loose in the last movie are now roaming the world at will, creating an almost intolerable situation for human civilization. There is now a black market specializing in dinosaurs, and illegal breeding farms are a constant problem. In addition, the girl Maisie, who is herself a clone of her mother, is now in her teens and becoming increasingly frustrated with the protected life forced upon her by her foster parents, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady. In a second storyline, Ellie Sattler, from the original Jurassic Park movies, is investigating abnormally large locusts that are devastating the crops of independent farmers while leaving the ones raised by the company Biosyn untouched. After talking her old lover, Alan Grant, into accompanying her, she visits Biosyn, where another old friend, Ian Malcolm, awaits them with valuable information. All the storylines come together when Maisie is kidnapped by Biosyn, and Claire and Owen follow her there to get her back.

As you can see, there is quite a lot happening in this film, which could prove confusing, but is actually handled wonderfully by the production and editing teams. The special effects are, of course, amazing, which is something that is expected with the movies Steven Spielberg is associated with, but the character development is also incredible. The most heart-warming revelations are given to Maisie, played by the very talented young actress Isabella Sermon. But the entire cast is breathtaking in this, as this film not only celebrates the newer endeavors, but also brings nostalgia into the mix with the stars of the former movies as well. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, they are all here, and the script brings them together with Chris Pratt’s and Brice Dallas Howard’s characters in such a way that seems so natural that it is hard to remember that 30 years has passed since the original film was released. Definitely see this one.

BOOK REVIEW: Murder by Other Means by John Scalzi

 

This is the follow up to the audiobook The Dispatcher. Taking place two years after the events in the last book, we find Tony Valdez in somewhat of a financial conundrum. Budget cuts have caused him to be dropped as a consultant for the police force, and the resulting downswing in his income has forced him to take jobs that legally questionable. After completing a morally ambiguous assignment for a local lawyer, he finds himself an innocent bystander in the middle of a bank robbery. However, as the investigation into the robbery progresses, one after the other of the people involved begin committing suicide, and all the clues seem to lead back to Tony. With only his police detective friend to defend him with the law, Tony must solve this mystery, or face the same fate as the others.

Narrated by Zachary Quinto, this is an excellent installment to this series. A little longer than the first, it might take a couple of days to get through, but it is definitely worth the time. Scalzi’s writing combined with Quinto’s narration makes this a mystery and thriller that will have the listener hanging on every word.

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.