Archive for December, 2013

Good Riddance to 2013

To some people the number thirteen is considered to be lucky.

For many others, myself included, thirteen is unlucky.  It’s an ominous sign of danger, deceit, or just bad tidings.

The year 2013 was probably one of the worst for my family and I in recent memory, except, of course, for the incredible pain that occurred in 2010.  As far as 2013, from January through December, it’s just been one hardship after another.  Let’s take a look at what made 2013 such a miserable year.

January – April:  From the first day of 2013 through the middle of April, it was one bad day after another for my girlfriend (now fiancée and future wife) with her job at a SteviB’s pizza buffet franchise.  The restaurant had a terrible owner that constantly made poor decisions that literally destroyed the business.  Many of the issues have been recorded in “The Clueless Restaurant Owner,” an eleven-part series of articles showcasing the troubling workers, the terrible decisions by the restaurant’s owner, and the living hell of working for that particular restaurant owner.

March:  My best friend’s sister died.  She was a lifelong sufferer of cystic fibrosis, a deadly disease that affects the lungs.  She had flown to and successfully undergone a double-lung transplant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania back in December of 2010.  I helped move them to Pittsburgh in November and then back home the following March.  Just as she was making this amazing comeback and living her life as a normal person, all of a sudden her health went crashing down.  She began having lung problems in November of 2012.  She began losing weight and growing weaker and weaker.  It was then deemed that her body was too weak and frail to undergo a second double-lung transplant.  She ended up dying at home about a week before her brother’s birthday.  Susanne was always a good friend and somebody who would brighten your day.  Losing her was a huge loss to not only her family but her large group of friends as well.  I had the honor of being a pallbearer for her funeral.

April:  My girlfriend’s mother had a scheduled hip-replacement surgery.  The surgery went well, but shortly later she began to have some complications.  For a brief period of time the complications were pretty serious, but thankfully everything has worked out.

May:  My maternal grandmother died at the beginning of the month. Read more…

The Christmas Spirit and How Quickly It Drops

It’s no secret that Christmas has become one massive, over-commercialized fiasco over the years.

Does the Spirit of Christmas still exist in this crazy, self-centered, egotistical world of ours?

Modern Christmas Timeline

September – These days the Christmas holiday begins in early to middle September.  That’s when you’ll start seeing Christmas decorations appearing in stores.  You’ll may even spy giant inflatable decorations and artificial Christmas trees for sale in Walmart.

October – Throughout October you’ll see more and more Christmas decorations and items for sale in the stores.  They may be on shelves past the Halloween decorations, but they’ll still be there.  Throughout the month you’ll also notice Christmas decorations appearing in the shopping malls.  Some of the department stores may even fully decorate their store with Christmas lights and other decorations.

November – This is the month when Christmas kicks into overdrive.

It seems to be standard now for Santa Claus to appear in the shopping malls on November 1, the day after Halloween.  That means that the kids are exposed to Santa from November 1st through December 24th, a total of 54 days.  That’s almost two full months!

Around the middle of November you’ll see more Christmas tree lots in parking lots, and some of your friends on Facebook will begin showing off their Christmas tree.  This was the first year where I saw several people showing off their decorated Christmas trees at least a week *before* Thanksgiving.  The common excuse was that Thanksgiving was late in the month this year and they wouldn’t have time to set up their decorations after Thanksgiving.  Of course, if you *really* wanted to wait and do it right, you’d arrange your schedule and find a way to set up the decorations when it’s more appropriate. Read more…

Movie Review – Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Back in 1964, the musical fantasy Mary Poppins told the story of an English nanny and her unique style of organizing the home and bringing together a family.

The movie became one of Walt Disney’s biggest and most beloved films of all time.  From the fantastic characters to the unforgettable music, Mary Poppins continues to charm old audiences and earn new ones.

What most people don’t know is that bringing Mary Poppins to the big screen was a bit of an adventure itself.

2013’s Saving Mr. Banks tells part of the story about how Walt Disney and his movie producers worked with P. L. Travers, the author of the Mary Poppins book series, and finally managed to have her sign over the rights to make the film that we know today.  The film takes place in 1961 as well as 1907, and we learn that there’s much more to the story of Mary Poppins than we ever knew.

Directed by John Lee Hancock, Saving Mr. Banks stars Emma Thompson as Pamela “P. L.” Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney.  Supporting them are Colin Farrell as Travers Robert Goff, Pamela’s father; Paul Giamatti as Ralph, Pamela’s chauffeur; Bradley Whitford as Don DaGradi, co-writer of the film; Jason Schwartzman as Richard M. Sherman, composer/lyricist of the film and brother to Robert; and B. J. Novak as Robert B. Sherman, composer/lyricist of the film and brother to Richard.

Saving Mr. Banks beings in London, England in 1961.

Saving Mr. Banks (2013) – Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Pamela “P. L.” Travers (Emma Thompson) is at her home when her agent, Diarmuid Russell (Ronan Vibert), strongly encourages her to sell the rights to her Mary Poppins books to Walt Disney.  While Pamela’s funds are running low and the income from her Mary Poppins books has severely dwindled, she’s still hesitant on selling her prized books to Disney.  Especially if he intends on making it an animated film, something she severely despises.

Walt Disney has been trying to get Pamela to sign over the rights for the past twenty years.  She finally agrees to fly to Los Angeles, California and meet with Disney in person.

While Pamela is on the eleven-hour flight to Los Angeles, she has a flashback to her childhood days back in Australia. Read more…

Movie Review – The Lone Ranger (2013)

“Hi-Yo, Silver!  Away!”

Since first appearing in a radio show in 1933, the Lone Ranger has stood as a figure of justice against evil doers and villains.  Team with Tonto, an American Indian, the Lone Ranger has been a classic American icon and a symbol of the Old West.  After first appearing in a radio series, the Lone Ranger skyrocketed in popularity when Clayton Moore portrayed the character during a television series from 1949 to 1957.

The Lone Ranger returned to the big screen in 2013’s big budget film, The Lone Ranger.  The film was directed by Gore Verbinski, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and scored by Hans Zimmer.  This version of The Lone Ranger is an origin story starring Armie Hammer as John Reid / the Lone Ranger and Johnny Depp as Tonto.  Supporting them are a cast of actors and actresses including William Fichtner, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Wilkinson and Barry Pepper.

The Lone Ranger begins in San Francisco in 1933.

The Lone Ranger (2013) – (c) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

A young boy, Will (Mason Cook), is dressed as the Lone Ranger while walking through a carnival.  He’s intrigued when he spots an Old West exhibit, so he pays the small fee and enters the museum.  One of the displays shows “the noble savage,” an American Indian standing and holding a tomahawk.  To the boy’s shock the Indian suddenly comes to life.

At first the Indian seems to recognize the boy’s disguise, then he realizes that it’s just a child and not his companion from years ago.  The elderly Indian is Tonto (Johnny Depp).  After Will asks Tonto who he thought that he was, Tonto tells him the story of the Lone Ranger in a series of flashbacks.

The film goes back to March 18, 1869. Read more…

Book Review – Tom Clancy’s “Net Force”

Last night I finished reading Net Force, the first in a series of books created by military and political thriller author Tom Clancy.  Although this story concept was created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, the same creators of the Op-Center series of novels, the book was actually written by Steve Perry.

First published in 1999, Net Force is set ten years later in 2010 and focuses on a world dominated by supercomputers.  To help investigate international computer crimes, Congress authorized the creation of Net Force, a branch of the FBI.

Net Force begins with the assassination of Steve Day, commander of Net Force.  Day had just finished having dinner in the city when his armored limousine is attacked and gunned down by a team of gunmen.  It’s not a complete victory for the assassins though as Day is able to shoot and kill one of his attackers.  By the time that the police arrive, the gunmen are long gone, complete with their dead companion.

Because of the assassination of his boss, Deputy Commander Alexander Michaels is quickly promoted to commander of Net Force.  His first assignment is to bring Steve Day’s killers to justice.  His team members include Assistant Deputy Commander Antonella “Toni” Fiorella and computer programmer Jay Gridley. Read more…

Movie Review – Santa’s Slay (2005)

Everybody knows that Santa Claus is a kind and friendly person who distributes presents on Christmas Eve to good little boys and girls.

But what if Santa was really an evil person who kills others, and the only reason he’s been nice for the past thousand years is because he lost a bet?  What if Santa was really a killing machine who was finally free to kill again?

That’s basically the premise for Santa’s Slay, a 2005 comedy horror film that gives us an alternate version of Santa Claus.  Directed by David Steiman, Santa’s Slay stars professional wrestling icon Bill Goldberg as Santa Claus.  The rest of the cast members are mainly nobodies, but you will catch glimpses of Dave Thomas, James Caan, Fran Drescher, Chris Kattan and Rebecca Gayheart.

Santa’s Slay begins on Christmas Eve in 2005.

Santa’s Slay (2005) – (c) Media 8 Entertainment

The Mason family is bickering with each other as they sit down to a formal dinner.  Suddenly Santa Claus (Bill Goldberg) comes crashing down the chimney.  He stabs Mr. Mason’s (James Caan) hands to the table with a pair of knives.  Daughter Taylor Mason (Annie Sorell) faints and falls backwards onto the dogs’ fancy bed and accidentally impales herself through the throat.  Santa drinks a bottle of alcohol, lights a lighter, and then sprays the fire onto Mrs. Mason’s (Fran Drescher) hair.

Jason Mason (Chris Kataan) tries to fight Santa, but Santa easily kicks him into a shelving unit, knocking him unconscious.  The fire is out on Mrs. Mason’s head and she’s badly burned.  But that doesn’t stop Santa.  He drowns her in a container of eggnog.  Gwen (Rebecca Gayheart) pleads with Santa that she’s been good right before he bashes her head with one of the table’s legs.  Beth (Alicia Loren) tries to run away, so Santa takes the star off the Christmas tree and throws it into her back, killing her.

Santa then grabs a drumstick from the turkey and shoves it into Mr. Mason’s mouth.  He then rams his head against the table, jamming the drumstick into his mouth and killing him. Read more…

Movie Review – Blackfish (2013)

On February 24, 2010, Tilikum, a killer whale in captivity at SeaWorld Orlando, attacked and killed his trainer, 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau.

Dawn was killed during the final show of the day.  What makes matters worse is that this is not the first or second time that this particular killer whale has killed anybody.  The death of Dawn Brancheau marked the third victim for Tilikum.

The 2013 documentary Blackfish takes a look at Tilikum’s history, from the whale’s capture off the coast of iceland to his initial (mis)treatment at Sealand of the Pacific park in British Columbia, Canada, to the whale’s killer record at SeaWorld Orlando.  Along the way we also learn more about the treatment of certain killer whales in captivity, how it affects their behavior, and what little the whale trainers allegedly did not know about Tilikum’s past.

Blackfish (2013) – (c) Magnolia Pictures

Blackfish begins with the interviews of a few former SeaWorld killer whale trainers and how they achieved their dreams of working with the magnificent water animals.  To be able to work with such creatures is still a dream for thousands of people.  It’s the same desire as wanting to work in a zoological park and get up close and personal with the animals, an opportunity some people can only dream about.

As these whale trainers explain, there’s just something special about not only touching but being able to swim in the water with such massive, agile and intelligent creatures.  It sounds like it’s truly an amazing experience for the right person, something that’ll be remembered and cherished for the rest of his or her life. Read more…

Movie Review – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

“He’s up past his bedtime in the city that never sleeps.”

Back in 1990, Home Alone was a smash hit.  It seemed like there was a national obsession for the film.  Naturally, it was just a matter of time before Hollywood brought back the cast for a sequel.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York brings back the McCallister family for another crazy Christmas adventure.  Even though it was released two years later in 1992, the film itself takes place the following year.  An airport mix up sends Kevin McCallister to New York City while the rest of his extended family goes to Miami, Florida.  It’s a perfect solo vacation for Kevin until he encounters the Wet Bandits again.  It’s up to Kevin to stop the bandits from robbing a toy store’s money that’s destined for sick children in a hospital.

Like the first film, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was directed by Chris Columbus and written & produced by John Hughes.  Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara and John Heard all reprise their roles.  This sequel also includes Tim Curry, Rob Schneider, Brenda Fricker and Eddie Bracken.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York begins a couple of days before Christmas in Chicago, Illinois.  The extended McCallister family is packing for another Christmas trip.  Instead of going to Europe, this time around the family is heading south to Miami, Florida.

Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is in his parents’ room playing with a cassette recorder while his parents are packing for the trip.  He’s upset that they’re heading to Miami as it’ll be too hot for Christmas trees.  His mother, Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara), tells him to just decorate a palm tree instead.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) – (c) 20th Century Fox

In addition to preparing for their trip, the family is also dressing for the Christmas pageant.  Part of Kevin’s outfit is in the bathroom, but his obnoxious Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) is in there and taking a shower.  Kevin uses his cassette recorder to record his uncle singing in the shower.  Frank finally notices him and yells at Kevin to leave the bathroom. Read more…

Movie Review – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Released today throughout the U.S. is The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second film in Peter Jackson‘s epic trilogy based on The Hobbit, the predecessor to The Lord of the Rings.

Directed by Peter Jackson and based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug brings back the cast from the first Hobbit film and gives us a couple of new characters as well.  Like before, Howard Shore conducted the music for this film.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug begins with a flashback in the Middle-earth town of Bree.  Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) is having some food and drink at the Prancing Pony tavern when he’s approached by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen).  Gandalf informs Thorin that he needs to acquire the Arkenstone so that he can become the King of Erebor.  Gandalf also mentions that there’s a price on his head and he’s a wanted man.  Thorin agrees to go on the quest to claim his throne, and Gandalf says that all they need to join them is a burglar (a.k.a. a hobbit — Bilbo Baggins).

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug then jumps to the ending of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film where Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), and the band of dwarfs are being pursued by orcs from the Carrock.  After Bilbo spots an incredibly large bear, Gandalf has everybody head to a house not too far away.  They barely make it into the house without being attacked by any orcs or the giant bear.

Inside the house, Gandalf reveals that the bear is really a skin-changer named Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), and they’re inside of his house.  In his bear form he’s dangerous and unpredictable, but when he’s in his normal form of a large human, then he may be more negotiable.  When morning comes, Beorn is a human and he speaks with his unexpected guests.  After learning about their adventure, Beorn is reluctant to help the dwarfs.  He does in the end as he dislikes the orcs more than dwarfs, and he allows the dwarfs to have provisions and borrow his ponies. Read more…

Movie Review – Evil Dead (2013)

This weekend marks the nationwide release of Evil Dead, a remake of the classic 1981 horror film, The Evil Dead.

Evil Dead takes us back to the 1980s as a small group of five friends spend some time at an old cabin in the woods.  Just like the original film, some of the people are Michigan State University students, and yes, Sam Raimi’s trademark Oldsmobile car is parked outside of the cabin.  It’s beat up, covered in weeds and other growth, and it has clearly seen better days, but that small tribute is part of this newer version of the classic horror film.

Directed by Fede Alvarez, Evil Dead stars Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas and Elizabeth Blackmore as the five friends who encounter an evil presence at an old cabin out in the woods.  2013′s Evil Dead was produced by Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and Robert G. Tapert, all three of them being connected to the original The Evil Dead film as the writer-director, main star, and producer of the film trilogy.

Evil Dead (2013) – (c) TriStar Pictures

Evil Dead begins with an injured young woman running through the woods.  She’s quickly captured by two men.  She later wakes up tied to a post in a building.  After her blindfold is removed, the woman is shocked that her father is one of the people who trapped her.  She pleads for her life as her father douses her with a flammable liquid, telling her how sorry he is to do so.  While he’s doing that, an older woman is reading from an old book and urging him to continue with the ritual.

The father tries to strike a match when the young woman suddenly reveals that she’s possessed.  She screams and rants at her father, taking responsibility for killing her mother.  Her father lights a match and the woman burns while still tied to a post.  After she’s burned for a few moments her father raises a shotgun and shoots her point blank in the head, killing the young woman.

Fast forward to today. Read more…

Movie Review – Black Christmas (1974)

“If this picture doesn’t make your skin crawl . . . it’s on TOO TIGHT.”

That’s the tag line for Black Christmas, a 1974 Canadian independent horror film that takes place on a college campus during Christmas break.  This film has also been known by alternate titles such as Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger in the House.

Directed by Bob Clark, Black Christmas stars Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder as two of the sorority sisters.  Supporting them are Keir Dullea as Peter Smythe, and John Saxon as police Lieutenant Kenneth Fuller.

Black Christmas (1974) – (c)Ambassador Film Distributors / Warner Bros.

Black Christmas begins one night at the start of Christmas break on a college campus.  As the sorority sisters drink and have a good time, we watch the point-of-view of a disoriented man as he climbs up the trellis on the side of the sorority house and enters the attic.  Shortly later the girls receive an obscene phone call.  Instead of being disgusted or scared, Barb Coard (Margot Kidder) provokes the caller, to which he replies that he’s going to kill her. Read more…

Book Review – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s “Relic”

Let’s face it, museums can be large and intimidating places.

Museums can also be a little bit scary, too, depending how you look at them.  From large spaces to lifelike animal exhibits to somewhat dreadful items such as bones and spiders, an ordinary trip to a museum could actually be a stressful experience.  Throw in the long shadows, loud air conditioning units, and the countless number of security cameras covering the exhibits, and there you go.  It’s almost like we’re supposed to be afraid of the exhibits inside a museum.

And then there are the tourists.  You know, those pesky people who are often loud, annoying, and they always find a way to stand in the way of your photos.  Compared to them, dealing with a mysterious beast that supposedly shreds people and snacks on part of their brains is like a walk in a park.

What’s that?  A museum beast that preys on innocent people?

That’s exactly the premise in Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s thrilling novel, Relic.

Relic begins with a disastrous expedition deep into the Brazilian rain forest.  The expedition, sponsored by the prestigious New York Museum of Natural History (also known as simply, The Museum), was to seek out an unknown tribe of people thought to have been extinct.  We don’t learn much about the expedition to find the lost Kothoga tribe, but it ends with the presumed deaths of several scientists.

About five years later, almost all traces of the Brazilian expedition are locked away in secure areas.  The New York Museum of Natural History is focusing on a new exhibition dealing with superstition.  The new Superstition exhibition is big and expected to draw heavy crowds of New York’s elite class when it premiers at the end of the week.

For botany graduate student Margo Green, it’s just another day of work at the museum as she works on her research project.  When she shows up for work on Monday morning, Margo, and the rest of the museum’s staff, is shocked by the heavy police presence.  It turns out that two young boys were brutally murdered in the museum’s basement area the previous night.  Not only were they murdered, but they were each decapitated with parts of their brains missing.  The NYPD jumps into action and begins questioning all workers who had contact with that section of the museum.

NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta leads the investigation.  Under request of the Museum’s director, D’Agosta allows for parts of the museum to remain open for both workers and visitors during the murder investigation. Read more…

Movie Review – Gremlins (1984)

For the longest of times gremlins have been known as little monsters that like to destroy mechanical and electrical devices.

Is your car broken?  Blame it on a gremlin.  Did an appliance recently break?  It was a gremlin.  The more that you believed in the creatures, then the more likely they would arrive and cause chaos.

In 1984, Gremlins brought those mischievous little creatures to life in a full-length film.

Directed by Joe Dante, produced by Steven Spielberg, written by Chris Columbus, and with music provided by Jerry Goldsmith, Gremlins tells the tale of the wicked little creatures wrecking havoc on a small town during Christmas.  The evil creatures are accidentally created from a mogwai when the rules required to take care of it are broken.  It’s up to two teenagers to stop the gremlins from completely destroying their town.

Gremlins begins as Randall Peltzer (Hoyt Axton), an inventor with good concepts but bad mechanics, is browsing through Chinatown when he meets the grandson of an antique shop owner.  Inside the antique shop, Randall tries to sell his latest invention, something called the Bathroom Buddy, to Mr. Wing (Keye Luke), the owner of a Chinese antique shop.  His sales spiel is interrupted by some strange noises.  When he investigates he discovers a little furry creature called a mogwai (voiced by Howie Mandel).

Gremlins (1984) – (c) Warner Bros.

The mogwai is a cute little creature and Randall thinks that it’ll make the perfect gift for his teenage son.  Unfortunately, Mr. Wing will not sell him the mogwai, even when Randall offers $200.  Mr. Wing claims that it takes a great amount of responsibility to keep a creature, and the mogwai is not for sale.  However, Mr. Wing’s grandson has a different attitude about the deal.  He has Randall meet him outside of the shop.  Outside, the grandson sells the mogwai for $200.  He claims that his grandfather is crazy.  Besides, the family could really use the money.

Before Randall leaves, the grandson tells him the three rules when caring for a mogwai.

1) Keep him in dark areas.  He hates light and sunshine will kill him.

2) Do not get him wet.  No drinking water and definitely no baths.

3) Most important of all, do NOT feed him after midnight.

It seems simple.  What could go wrong? Read more…

Movie Review – Man of Steel (2013)

Look, up in the sky!

It’s a bird!

It’s a plane!

It’s Superman!  Yes, folks, arguably the greatest superhero of all time has returned to the big screen.  2013′s Man of Steel is a reboot of the Superman film franchise that began with 1978′s Superman.  It’s an origin story that tells the history of the superhero and puts him against one of his greatest enemies, General Zod.

Directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill in the title role of Clark Kent / Superman / Kal-El.  Co-starring in the Superman film are Amy Adams as the news reporter Lois Lane and Michael Shannon as the Kryptonian warrior General Zod.  Supporting them are Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Clark’s adoption parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Lois Lane’s boss Perry White, and Russell Crowe as Kal-El’s biological father Jor-El.

It’s been seven years since the release of 2006′s Superman Returns.  Can Man of Steel bring the legendary superhero back to life and help create a restored interest and new franchise for the DC hero?

Man of Steel (2013) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures

Man of Steel begins on planet Krypton, the home world of Superman’s race of people.  Planet Kyrpton is dying.  The people have mined all the krypton from the planet’s core and exhausted the natural resources.  Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is pleading his case in front of the council for the survival of their race.  He wants to send the people’s genetic code to another planet to ensure their existence for future generations.

Unfortunately, the council is against Jor-El’s idea.  The meeting is then hijacked by General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his fellow warriors.  Jor-El flees the meeting and races through Krypton, dodging General Zod’s attacks while racing to the sacred genetic codex.  He acquires it and returns to his home where his wife, Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer), and infant son are waiting for him.

Jor-El’s son is a very special case.  It’s explained that on Krypton, all children are specifically “manufactured” to fulfil specific needs on the planet, having a different set of genetic codes to suit those demands.  People are literally born as farmers, miners, warriors, leaders, etc.  In the case of baby Kal-El, he’s the first natural birth that Krypton has experienced in hundreds of years.  Jor-El accepts this as a sign that their son was meant for something better on the dying planet. Read more…

Book Review – Clive Cussler’s “Raise the Titanic!”

Published back in 1976, Clive Cussler’s adventure story, Raise the Titanic!, brings the legendary ship back to life.

Raise the Titanic! begins in April of 1912.  As the legendary passenger ship is making its fateful journey across the northern Atlantic Ocean, a mysterious passenger lies awake in fright.  He’s a hunted man, constantly looking over his shoulder and staying one step ahead of his assassins.

When the Titanic strikes an iceberg and begins to sink, the mysterious man forces a member of the Titanic‘s crew to escort him to one of the cargo holds.  Down in the depths of the sinking ship he opens and locks himself inside of a massive vault.  The secret, he believes, will remain with the ship on the bottom of the ocean.

Fast forward to today (1976).

Dr. Gene Seagram is the leader of the top secret Meta Section at the Pentagon.  One of the projects on the hot plate in Meta Section is the Sicilian Project, a highly advanced method of stopping Soviet ballistic missiles from reaching their target.  The science has been researched for the Sicilian Project.  The only problem is that the Sicilian Project requires a massive amount of energy to function.  Scientists believe that the rare mineral byzanium should provide enough energy, but it’s an extremely rare mineral.  So rare in fact that the only known source of byzanium is on a small island just of the coast of the USSR.

Taking an incredible risk, Meta Section sends geologist / scientist Sid Koplin to the island near the Russian coast.  Koplin locates a secret mine and determines that a group of miners beat everybody to the byzanium.  And those miners did it nearly seventy years ago, too.  A Soviet patrol stumbles onto Koplin, and he forced to run for his life.  Just as he’s being captured, Dirk Pitt kills the Soviet soldier and flies Koplin on a helicopter and back to an American ship.

Gene Seagram researches the expedition and follows a series of clues about the mysterious miners who already claimed the prize.  It turns out that the miners were a highly skilled set of men known as The Coloradans.  These men were originally hired by the French government to mine the mineral, but they were persuaded by the U.S. to double-cross them and give it to America.  The men attempted to escape and were pursued across Europe by a team of assassins.  By the time the group arrived in England, only one man was still alive.  He took the valuable cargo with him on board the Titanic. Read more…

Movie Review – Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Today, Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel to the 1939 classic film, The Wizard of Oz, was released to the theaters as part of the opening weekend.

This film takes viewers back into the fantastic world of Oz and tells the tale of how the wizard became such a powerful and respected character.  Considering that it’s been over seventy years since the release of The Wizard of Oz, and taking into account the technology to create outstanding fantasy worlds, one would really expect Oz the Great and Powerful to be a really fantastic film.

Unfortunately, the opposite occurred.

Directed by Sam Raimi and with a soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman, Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco in the title role of Oscar Diggs (a.k.a. the Wizard of Oz).  Co-starring are Mila Kunis as Theodora (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the West) and Rachel Weisz as Evanora (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the East).  Michelle Williams plays the role of Glinda (a.k.a. The Good Witch).  Yes, Bruce Campbell has a cameo role in this Sam Raimi film.

Oz the Great and Powerful begins in 1905 as a travelling fair is performing in Kansas.  Just like in The Wizard of Oz, this opening segment of the film is shown in black & white and with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) – (c) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is an illusionist who performs in front of crowds at the fair.  He’s a greedy person who has no affection for his assistant (Zach Braff).  Oscar is also a womanizer who picks up a new woman (who plays the role of the “volunteer” in his show) in each town.

A new show begins and Oscar entertains the crowd with his illusions.  He uses his “volunteer” from the audience and proceeds to levitate the woman.  Somebody in the audience spots wires supporting her body, and the crowd turns on Oscar, thinking he’s a fraud.  The wires are actually part of the act, and the crowd is shocked when Oscar cuts them and the woman still levitates.  He yanks back the cloth covering her body and she has vanished!  The crowd is thrilled and thinks that Oscar is a real magician. Read more…

Book Review – Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park”

One of my all-time favorite novels is Michael Crichton’s dinosaur-themed adventure story, Jurassic Park.

I first read the book in college.  Since then, I’ll usually read the story again once every couple of years.  It’s just that good of a story.

The story begins with mysterious animal attacks in the jungles of Costa Rica.  It seems that a small, lizard-like creature has been blamed for attacking a few people.  Something that almost seems like it should be . . . extinct.

Meanwhile, billionaire John Hammond, founder and CEO of International Genetic Technologies (InGen), is bringing in experts to take a tour of his new biological preserve / theme park established on Isla Nublar, an island about 100 miles off the coast of Costa Rica.  He needs these people to evaluate his park and give their approval before it opens to the general public.

After all, his park is like nothing the world has ever experienced.  InGen has cloned and brought back living dinosaurs.  Those experts and top minds are Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist, Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist, Dr. Ian Malcom, a mathematician, and Donald Gennaro, a lawyer.  And just to make things interesting, also included are John Hammond’s grandkids, Lex and Tim.

Upon arrival at Jurassic Park, the gang is shown a tour of the facility.  Some of the stops include laboratories where the dinosaurs’ DNA is examined, where the eggs are fertilized, and of course, a hatchery where the young dinosaurs are born.

What makes Crichton’s novel so interesting is that he’s using what seem to be sound scientific concepts to bring the dinosaurs back to life.  The dinosaur DNA is extracted from mosquitoes fossilized in amber millions of years ago.  The gaps in the DNA’s code is complete with frog DNA.  And in the end, the DNA is inserted into an egg which ultimately becomes a living dinosaur.  Tinkering with the DNA’s code allows the InGen scientists to control the sex of the dinosaur, essentially making them all female.  The thought is that if they’re all female, then there would not be any unauthorized breeding outside of the compound. Read more…

Movie Review – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Eleven years ago, Peter Jackson presented the world with Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first in a trilogy of epic scale telling the classic tale from J. R. R. Tolkien.

While LOTR: The Return of the King may have ended that particular story, we know that there are more stories waiting to be told from the world of Middle Earth.  That’s where 2012′s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes into play.

Released today in the U.S., The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first movie in a trilogy that tells the tale of The Hobbit, a story written by J. R. R. Tolkien back in 1937.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, with the events in The Hobbit taking place sixty years before LOTR.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) – (c) Warner Bros. Pictures

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey begins with Thror as King under the Mountain and leader of their stronghold of Erebor.  Dwarfs populate the area and they specialize in digging for gold.  One day a dwarf discovers a much bigger treasure buried within the mountain, and King Thror proclaims the treasured stone as a sign of his divinity and right to rule the area.  The dwarfs continue digging for gold and Erebor is filled with golden coins and treasures.

Nearby, the town of Dale is a peaceful community filled with exotic goods from traders who have travelled throughout the region.  The people are happy with their way of life.  One day a dragon named Smaug arrived and brutally destroyed the town of Dale.  Smaug then stormed into Erebor, killing every dwarf he could find and then seizing the stronghold as his new home. Read more…

Book Review – Vince Flynn’s “Extreme Measures”

Today (yes, today — December 8, 2013) I finished reading Vince Flynn‘s Extreme Measures, the ninth book in Flynn’s main series of novels.

Once again, Extreme Measures takes readers into the world of Muslim extremists and terrorism.  It’s up to Mitch Rapp to solve the puzzle and save the day.  But does he succeed in this book, or do the terrorists win?

Let’s take a look and find out.

Extreme Measures begins at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.

CIA operative Mike Nash arrives at Bagram to interrogate two high-profile prisoners:  Abu Haggani and Mohammad al-Haq.  Abu is a senior Taliban commander who used to be in charge of suicide operations in Afghanistan.  Mohammad was the Taliban’s liason with al-Qaeda, a trusted man in the organization.  The only problem is that neither man is willing to give up an information, and the air base was recently visited by several U.S. Senators on a fact-finding mission.  Should the prisoners be tortured in any sort of way, then there will be hell to pay.

Fortunately, CIA man Mitch Rapp doesn’t care about regulations when it comes to withdrawing information from terrorists.  That’s especially true when two terrorist cells have been recently captured, and evidence is quickly pointing towards a third cell.  Both Mitch and Mike beat and extract some information from the captured terrorists, and they make a deal for one of them to reveal even more information.

Those talks are stopped when Captain Trevor Leland alerts the air base commander, Brigadier General Scott Garrison, about the presence of the men from the CIA.  The interrogation is halted and, after noticing the injuries on the prisoners, Captain Leland insists that Mitch Rapp be placed under arrest.  General Garrison isn’t too sure, but he’s convinced when Captain Leland convinces him to basically cover his ass.  He’s aware of violations in place.  He should at least temporarily detain Rapp until somebody higher in the chain of command gives him a different order.

The biggest problem occurs when Captain Leland gets pushy with Rapp.  He makes a threatening move to his sidearm and Rapp reacts, disabling the captain and knocking him to the ground.  The move injures the captain’s arm and he gets a black eye after hitting his face against a table.  Now we’re talking about a charge of striking an officer, a major crime in the military.

Rapp is taken into custody at the air base.  He’s later released after promising to apologize to Captain Leland.  Unfortunately, Leland does not accept the apology and decides to press charges against the CIA operative.  General Garrison tries to talk Leland out of doing so, and even offers him a promotion in rank and relocation to a base of his choosing, but Leland insists on his legal route.  Rapp is going to have to deal with that back in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the third terrorist cell is training at Ciudad del Este, a small compound outside of a remote town in South America.  The leader of the terrorists is Karim Nour-al-Din, and he’s determined to make a name for himself in al-Qaeda. Read more…

Why Are There So Many Book And Movie Reviews?

A lot of visitors have been e-mailing and asking about the sudden flood of book and movie reviews on this website.

The reason is that I’m in the process of closing one of my websites — www.ChamberOfReviews.com.  This website really isn’t developing as I originally intended.  After being on the Internet for two years, I’m closing it for good.

All of the reviews are being transferred here to RellimZone.com.  As some of you have noted, this was the website where I originally started writing the reviews.  The reviews were then transferred to an independent website, but that just didn’t work very well in the end.  So they’re all coming back here and many, many more reviews are still on the way.

Many of the book reviews begin with the phrase, “Last night I finished reading . . .,” or “The other day I finished reading . . .,” or “Today I finished reading . . .”  Obviously I’m not reading a book a day.  That’s just how the articles were originally published over the past couple of years.  The same is true if a movie review begins by referencing a specific event, whether it’s a holiday or other occasion.  Those statements were accurate at the time of the articles’ original publishing on the other website.

On a side note, so far this year I’ve read 31 books.  These next few weeks are going to be busy (football bowl games & LOTS of beer), but I’m hoping to finish reading at least another book or two by the end of the year.

– Dan