Thursday, January 19, 2006

Book Review: Comes A Horseman by Robert Liparulo


This is the debut novel by an up and coming new novelist and it's really not too bad. I had my moments when I was drawn into the story, flipping through pages as fast as I could. And then there were other moments when I wanted to throw the book across the room, I was so frustrated. The plot goes like this--Someone is killing people who have had a near-death experience. Two FBI agents get on the case and begin to unveil a plot of massive proportions, including a man who proposes to be the Antichrist. There is a certain point in this book where I get the feeling that this may be the first of a series, or at least there may be a sequel. A certain character sort of gets forgotten about at the end of the story which makes me think that that person will be a big part in the next. That is, unless it was an oversight. My biggest beef with the story is with one of the heroes. Brady, the male part of the FBI team has to be the wimpiest hero in all bookdom! It drove me insane--when he's faced with a life and death situation, he constantly chokes and only his partner, the tough-as-nails Alicia can save they're sorry asses. That's a tough hill to climb out of, but the story did move at a brisk pace and was entertaining enough to keep me reading. Not bad for a debut, but I hope if we see Brady again, he's a little more manly. *** out of *****.

Monday, January 16, 2006

DVD Review: Serenity


Thank the heavens, finally a good Science Fiction movie. Star Wars has single handedly ruined the genre in my opinion, but this little adventure from the cast and crew of TV's cancelled Firefly breath new life into it. The crew of Serenity are still fighting and hiding from the Alliance and an assassin is hot on their trail. He wants to get to River, the human cargo that's been on the Serenity, she's carrying some important information. Soon, the crew finds out just how dangerous River can be but they need to keep her from the Alliance. Action, adventure, humor and jaw dropping effects combine to make an astounding film. We also find out how the Reavers came to be. The TV show was boring, but the movie rocks! I hope Joss Whedon keeps it up. This could be the next great sci-fi franchise. ****1/2 out of *****.

DVD Review: Evil Breed-The Legend of Samhain


Damn the makers of this movie, damn them I tell you! First off, Jenna Jameson is only in the movie for about 2 minutes flat, she's never seen in the outfit she has on on the cover, the other "star" that gets headliner props is Richard Grieco and he's in it for about 1 minute. However those aren't that bad because they make up about 3 of the worst minutes in acting history! Next, you have Ginger Lynn Allen trying to talk with an Irish accent and it's utterly ridiculous. The characters in this movie have you begging for them to die. Oh yeah, the ending is idiotic too. This movie should have never been released, the DVD's used to make them could have been saved for something more worthwhile, like Hellraiser 17 or something. The plot follows a group of students that take a trip to Ireland to learn about the ancient Druids and they become the main course for a group of inbred monsters. At least there's justice in the world! There's supposed to be an unrated version out there somewhere that has a lot more gore in it, but unless it was made with a different cast and and a different director, forget about it! 0 out of *****. Sorry folks, pornstars and horror just don't mix.