Movie review: Oblivion

view date: 20 April 2013

The short version: Jack Harper is the repair tech of tower 49; tasked to keep the armed drones flying. The drones protect the hydrostations that are converting Earth’s seas to fusion power for the remaining population that has moved to Titan after the war with the alien Scavengers decimated the population and destroyed the environment.

Jack and his partner, Victoria, have had their memories wiped in standard procedure for their tour of duty, however Jack is haunted by dreams of a woman that he has never seen. When events conspire to bring the woman down … more

Oblivion Spoilers

This post contains spoilers from the movie Oblivion. If you want the review without the spoilers go here. You have been warned.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

There are several things in this movie that set off my bogosity meter.

1. We find out at the end that Jack is a clone, created by the Scavenger to be its soldiers in phase one of the invasion, then the repair techs in phase two of the rape of Earth. However, unless recent research has discovered that memory is stored in DNA, then a clone should … more

“Anywhere touched by magic” – A Turn of Light by Julie E. Czerneda

I am new to the reviewing game, and so I’m still learning how to do it right. I tend to retell the book or movie, rather than telling about it. I’m going to do my best not to retell this book, because there is absolutely no way I could tell it as well as Julie.

As a general rule, I don’t like humungous books. The Wheel of Time soured me on that whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first few, but the the next few I had to force myself to finish, not because the writing wasn’t … more

Oz: The Great and Powerful – movie review

There may be some spoilers below. I’ll try to keep them few.

I have never read any of the Oz books. My only previous exposure to Oz has been the original 1939 movie. It was a tradition in my family to watch that movie whenever it appeared on TV. This was before cable or satellite TV, so we were dependent on when the broadcast networks decided to show it.

Like the original movie, Oz starts in a small town in Kansas, and like the original the movie is black and white until the scene moves to Oz, where the color … more

The Body Electric by Allie Duzett

I won an early review copy of this book on Library Thing. This review is for the ebook version.

Warning: some spoilers may be possible, although I’ll try to keep them limited.

The Body Electric is the story of seventeen year-old Helena Clark. She lives in a small town in Colorado where she has one friend, one boyfriend, three siblings and two parents.

Lena describes herself as average in everything, yet she is friendly, kind, sweet, and a good friend. When she discovers her boyfriend is cheating on her, she turns to … more

Discount Armageddon – Seanan McGuire

I’ve just finished last year’s Discount Armegeddon, the first InCryptid novel by Seanan McGuire. This is an urban fantasy about Verity Price, a dancer/waitress/cryptozoologist. She is in NYC entering dance competitions, supporting herself working as a waitress at a strip club, and trying to decide whether to return to the family business.

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be coming back for more.

This book is a light-hearted romp through the streets, rooftops, and sewers of New York, but not devoid of serious concepts. Verity’s official job is to assist the cryptid population, protecting … more

Gun Rack

Ok, I was following links and ran across this movie poster for Machete Kills.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/sofia-vergaras-literal-gun-rack-for-machete-kills

This is not a review of the movie, this is a review of the poster. I am not a gun owner, but I’ve fired friends’ guns a couple of times, and I’ve picked up a few tidbits (that was TID) of trivia. We all know this wouldn’t work in real life (I hope!).

Those appear to be full-auto gatling guns and that would heat up barrels quite a bit, so she is going to burn off her nipples. Second, from her pose, she appears … more

Some of Your Blood – Theodore Sturgeon

Some of Your Blood, Theodore Sturgeon, 1956

Yes this book is old, but what can I say? I’ve never read it before, and Theodore Sturgeon is one of the greats. A quick glance through his bibliography revealed half a dozen familiar titles that I’ve read and loved, and while I’m not generally a horror fan, I read this on the strength of his name and reputation.

Warning: some spoilers ahead.

This is the story of George Smith, Infantry, Motor Mechanic, pulled from a forward staging area somewhere overseas and committed to a military mental ward when he punched a superior officer. The … more