C.A. Milson's Blog, page 234

Hangar 10 (2014) – Movie Review

Hangar 10 (2014)

Stars: Robert Curtis, Abbie Salt, Danny Shayler

IMDB Rating: 3.7

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Plot: 33 years after the infamous Rendlesham Forest UFO incident, three metal detector enthusiasts hunting for Saxon gold in the same region, capture incredible footage of UFO’s whilst filming their expedition. As night falls and with their navigation equipment failing, they find themselves facing a terrifying encounter with an unforgiving alien presence.

Review: There is something about found footage films that makes my skin crawl… Especially when they are:

A: A clear rip-off from other films, and

B: When they are amateur in every way possible.

This found footage film falls into both the above categories.

The plot (if you want to call it that) is straight-forward. Three friends (2 guys and a girl) go treasure hunting in Rendlesham Forest, with their cam equipment and metal detectors. First night in they see “strange” lights in the sky, and the rest you can guess. Underground bunkers; Poorly done CGI alien ships; and Blair Witch shots aplenty.

Rather than give myself a migraine from explaining what happens (I think you all know anyway), I will just summarize the basics of this film:

Plot – Predictable and boring

Script – Poorly written

Acting – I’ve seen better….

SPX – Shockingly terrible

Film Quaility: Grainy and amateur at best

There is a reason why this film was rated so very low on IMDB. Even though I am somewhat of a believer that any filmy needs a fair go, this was – without a doubt – one of the worst I have seen yet.

Do yourself a favor and spare yourself from this one.

Verdict: Excruciatingly painful to watch

My Rating: -5 out of 10

 

 

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Abbie Salt, Danny Shayler, Film Review, founf footage film, Hangar 10 (2014), Movie Review, Rendlesham Forest UFO incident, Robert Curtis

Meet My Character: Karen from The Chosen Series

Welcome to the Meet My Character. Today we will meet Karen.

Karen

Is he/she fictional or a historic person? Fictional

When and where is the story set? The storyline of The Chosen is set in the not top distant past, and ends with the final book set in the very not to distant future.

What should we know about her? Karen is the type of girl who is always searching for something better in life. The daughter of a drunkard mother, she grew up thinking that it was perfectly okay to use and abuse men, as long as it got her what she wanted. She is intelligent, cunning, manipulative. Karen is a party-hard girl and she especially loves it when men fight over her.

Her fav pastimes are spending too much time in-front of the mirror; Spending her boyfriends (yes, she has many boyfriends) money; Drinking; Getting stoned, and having sex (although this one ranks up pretty high on the list).

What is the main conflict? Karen’s only conflict is trying to find a way to escape the small town life. After witnessing the horrific deaths of Tom and Jeff (by the demon, Lutancix), her salvation comes by Alex, who arrives in Winmont to investigate the paranormal incident.

What is the personal goal of the character? Her only focus is to get out of the small town and live in the city. She has no clue what she will do beyond that.

Karen is one of the three main characters in the Chosen Series. She plays an important role in Bloodline Of Darkness, and (spoilers) she is manipulated in Prophecy’s End to bring about the downfall of Alex. Just who manipulates her, I will not say as that will give you the ending ;)

There is a feature film adaptation of the first book. You can find out about that film HERE.

 

Filed under: Book Tour, Guest Authors Tagged: Audiobook, Author, Book, C.A.Milson, character development, Fiction, fiction writer, Horror Novel, Rise of the Darkness, Writing

A Cross In Time – Review By Alex Szollo

A Cross In Time

by Richard W. Black

Review by Alex Szollo.

I was fortunate to meet Alex Szollo, initially by Email, then by Facebook, when he requested a copy of A Cross In Time for a review. This guy’s blog is pretty awesome, and one you should check out.

http://alexszollo.wordpress.com

 

Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: A Cross In Time, Alex Szollo, Author, Blogger, Book Review, Christian Fiction, Novel, Richard W. Black, Writer

Stonehearst Asylum (2014) – Movie Review

Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, David Thewlis, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Jason Flemyng

IMDB Rating: 6.9

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Plot: A recent medical school grad who takes a position at a mental institution soon finds himself taken with one of his colleagues — though he has no initial idea of a recent, horrifying staffing change.

 

Review: First of all this film has a great cast. With actors such as Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Kate Beckinsale and Jason Flemyng, you know that you are in for a film that will exceed your expectations, and I for one was quite impressed.

Without giving the game away on this one (you can watch it for yourself), the film starts out in 1899. Edward Newgate (Sturgess) has just graduated medical school and takes a job at a mental institution. While working at the asylum, Edwin discovers that Silas (Kingsley), and the entire medical staff are actually the mental patients who rose up and took over the asylum before Edwin ever arrived. Dr. Salt (Caine) is the actual superintendent, and he and his staff have been imprisoned in cells in the bowels of the asylum.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this film to keep you guessing til the end, and one spoiler I won’t give away :)

The acting, scenery, and characters were well developed in every aspect. A must watch film for November!

Verdict: No one is what they seem

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Ben Kingsley, Brad Anderson, David Thewlis, Eliza Graves, Jason Flemyng, Jim Sturgess, Kate Beckinsale, Michael Caine, Stonehearst Asylum (2014), The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether

Soul Mates (TV Series 2014 -) – TV Series Review

Soul Mates, TV Series. (2014 -)

Stars: Nicholas Boshier, Christiaan van Vuuren, Charlotte Best

IMDB Rating: 8.2

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Plot: This is the story of two dickheads, bound together through different incarnations spanning the course of human history.

Review: Soul Mates follows the story of a couple of friends who are continually drawn together across the course of human history. In 2013, they are a pair of fashion-obsessed Bondi Hipsters. In prehistoric times, they experience all of life’s firsts as a couple of cavemen. In 64 BC they are designing and installing booby traps in the tombs of Ancient Egypt. In 1979 they are two New Zealanders known as Kiwi Assassins. In the year 2145 they are working in a time travel agency called Travel Time.

Soul Mates is a hilarious Australian comedy show that pokes fun at just about everyone and everything in between. Such as when they are in pre-historic times, the cavemen lads assume that in order to reproduce they have to masturbate on the “Tree of Life”, then they discover oral sex, and hence they perform it on each other.

Jump forward to 1979, and the boys are a couple of Kiwi Assassins, sworn to protect New Zealand from the lures and traps of Australian life. They are a crack team of Kiwi secret agents, recruited by the New Zealand “Munistry of Dufinse” to protect NZ’s international interests against Australia in the 1980′s. Their first mission in Aussie is to try and convince Russell Crowe (who is a child actor) to move back to New Zealand. Of course the boys fail miserably by epic proportions. (Watch the scene where the lads open fire on the weeds).

Jump again to modern era, and they “work” in a clothing store, and discover that they are on the brink of releasing a new fashion label called “nothing”.

The show pretty much involves a non-stop series of skits, and is blended together nicely to bring to Aussie TV something I have not seen since Steve Vizard’s Full Frontal, or Reno 911.

Soul Mates is entertaining, and although somewhat offensive in parts, it is a good show that is set to run for an initial 6 episodes.

Verdict: Bromance through the ages

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

Filed under: TV Show Reviews Tagged: Charlotte Best, Christiaan van Vuuren, Connor Van Vuuren, Full Frontal, Kiwi Assassins, Nicholas Boshier, Peter Callan, Rachel House, Soul Mates (TV Series), The Bondi Hipsters, The Van Vuuren Bros

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014) – Movie Review

Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014)

Stars: Val Kilmer, Katherine McNamara, Jake T. Austin, Joel Courtney, Kaloian Vodenicharov

IMDB Rating: 6.4

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Plot: The adventure unfolds as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn – Tom’s friend from the streets – witness a murder in the graveyard. Tom and Huck flee to Jackson Island and make a pact never to tell anyone about the incident. However, when the good-natured Muff Potter, who has been blamed for the murder is sentenced to death by hanging, Tom breaks his promise and returns to exonerate Muff Potter. In jun Joe, the actual murderer, makes a hasty exit from the courtroom during the trial. A short time later, Tom and Huck find references to a treasure and have to face Injun Joe again.

Review: I have always liked a good Mark Twain story, and even moreso, the adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. I remember watching the TV series in 1980, before I would make the 15 mile hike to school through treacherous backwoods, through alligator infested swamps… nah just kidding :)�� I did walk to school which was about 5 minutes walk, but in those days when I was young, I would re-enact some adventures in my mind and imagine I was there with the lads, having adventures of my own.

So when I came across this pearl, I naturally got excited as a child at a free “all you can eat” candy shop. :)

The film opens with Mark Twain (Val Kilmer) recounting a story to his grand-kids, and hence the adventure of Huck and Tom continue. In this installment of the much loved tale, Tom and Huck find themselves in a graveyard at midnight, and there they witness Injun Joe (Kaloian Vodenicharov) carry out a murder. Fearing for their own safety, Tom and Huck make a vow of secrecy to never tell a sole. However, that is easier said than done when Muff Potter is the scapegoat and framed for murder. The boys take it upon themselves to clear Potter’s good name by any means necessary, even if it means putting themselves in the firing line if Injun Joe.

Needless to say, the boys get themselves into all kinds of misadventures in this film, and show that boys will be boys in a time when it was all cool to run around town with no shoes, and sleep out in the woods :)

A couple of memorable scenes is when Tom (Joel Courtney) has to paint the picket fence, then he easily cons a few other boys to paint it for him, for a price (nicely done Tom); And in a later scene, when he gets “engaged” to Becky (Katherine McNamara), then makes the reference of when he was engaged to another girl :)

The acting by Jake T. Austin (as Huck Finn), and Joel Courtney is wonderful in this adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel.

I would have given this film a higher score, but I did feel that the casting choice for the role of Injun Joe was not as good as what it could have been, if they would have given the role to a native American to preserve the authenticity of the character.

Verdict: Good family entertainment for all!

My Rating: 8 out of 10

 

 

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Injun Joe, Jake T. Austin, Joel Courtney, Kaloian Vodenicharov, Katherine McNamara, Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn (2014), Val Kilmer

The Babadook – Movie Review

The Babadook (2014)

Stars: Essie Davis, Daniel Henshall, Tim Purcell, Noah Wiseman

IMDB Rating: 7.1

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Plot: A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

Review: Australian films are a rare find. Even rarer are Australian horror films.And even rarer are Aussie films that are exceptional. Of the Aussie films that I have seen that would rank on my list, the only one I can think of, as I sit here with my morning coffee, is Wolf Creek. So when I watch Babadook, I was expecting something good, or at least, would give some form of chill experience.

Babadook starts off with Amelia (Essie Davis) reading a bedtime story to her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman). However, this is no ordinary bedtime story, but a creepy version of “What’s Under The Bed“.

This film is disturbing on many levels.

First, Amelia reading a scary bedtime story to her child was the first thing I picked up on. I can only surmise that she really likes to scare the crap out of her son to the point where he is seeing real monsters, or she just didn’t give a rats ass about him. Amelia is the type of woman who will not win the “mother of the year award”, infact, her parenting skills are very lacking in every department.

Second thing I noticed was that she lived in a large 2 story Victorian-era home. Now, either she was renting the home, or she was paying a mortgage. Regardless of which, it is doubtful that she could afford renting/paying off such a home, considering the realistic home prices in Australia, and being a worker in an aged care facility, it is highly doubtful her salary would cover the basic mortgage costs.

Third thing: The Babadook…. The Babadook makes appearances here and there, and even calls her once or twice. One scene in particular is when Amelia answers the phone and we get to hear this creature say in a “creepy” tone “Ba… Ba… Dook“…

Fourth thing: (Spoilers): At the end, when this demon/ghost/creature/whatever couldn’t have her son, it flees into her basement to live out the rest of it’s existence, with Amelia feeding it a strict diet of worms… Yeah… Okay…..

This film may be scary for some, and others will say that is was brilliant, but to be honest, this film failed to raise any scare factor for me to the point where if this “monster” was real, it wouldn’t scare me outta a daydream.

The SPX were passable, but the Babadook gave me the impression that it was a mix of some of the characters that Johnny Depp has played over the years (Edward Scissorhands/Willy Wonka).

I did find that the acting was mediocre, with the exception of Noah Wiseman, who was very exceptional in his debut role. I will say here that Noah has a brilliant future ahead of him if he follows his acting career.

The writing and directing by Jennifer Kent was good, but sadly the film did not live up to the hype and expectations.

Verdict: As scary as Scary Movie….

My Rating: 5 out of 10 (5 being for Noah)

 

 

 

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Daniel Henshall, Бабадук, Essie Davis, film, Film Review, horror movie, Jennifer Kent, Mister Babadook, Movie Review, Noah Wiseman, The Babadook, Tim Purcell

Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012) – Movie Review

Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012)

Stars: Mathias Melloul, Valérie Maës, Stephan Hersoen, Leïla Denio, Adeline Rebeillard, Laetitia Favart, Nathan Duval.

IMDB Rating: 5.3

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Plot: Three generations of a French family open up about their sexual experiences and desires after young Romain is caught masturbating in his biology class.

Review: Once in a while I will come across a foreign film that needs to be reviewed, and granted, I probably should be reviewing most movies I watch, but unfortunately I do not always get the time.

This is one foreign film that does take the cake, (and maybe the whole bakery), when it comes to the promiscuous lives of one French family. From the grandfather who has regular sex with a local hooker (Laetitia Favart), to the parents, to the 3 grown up children (bar one who is still a virgin).

The film opens up when Romain (Mathias Melloul) gets caught filming himself masturbating in biology class, which then unwittingly breaks through his family’s treatment of sex as a taboo subject matter, and triggers his mother, Claire (Valérie Maës), to open a dialogue with the family, encouraging them to explore their sexuality more freely and openly.

From there, the film branches out to explore the sex lives of the other relatives, including Romain’s parents, his sister and his older brother (who engages in regular threesomes), all of whom find extreme fulfillment with their partners. The endless barrage of sex scenes are never as graphic as they initially appear, with carefully orchestrated camera moves to keep the relevant genitalia just barely out of frame.

The central character (Romain) is the focus point of the film, from his awkwardness with Coralie, and leading up to the predictable scene of his first sexual experience with her. A lot of inner monologues go on with Romain, with not only being frustrated that everyone is having sex but him, but his inner passions that want to be let out.

A well done film that explores the sexual explorations of one family, with just the right amount of passion thrown in.

Verdict: Ah, those French girls…..

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

 

 

Filed under: Movie Reviews Tagged: Adeline Rebeillard, Chroniques sexuelles d'une famille d'aujourd'hui, film, Film Review, foreign film, French film, Laetitia Favart, Leïla Denio, Mathias Melloul, Movie Review, Nathan Duval, Sexual Chronicles of a French Family (2012), Stephan Hersoen, Valérie Maës

Tales Of A Tenacious Tenor – Robert P. Mitchell

Tales Of A Tenacious Tenor

by Robert P. Mitchell

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Blurb: Why aren’t you singing at the Met? 

…a question frequently asked of the author after a performance. Bob liked to say to people, “I could never come up with a snappy come-back, so I sat down and wrote the whole story…” from when the great movie tenor, Mario Lanza, in the movie Student Prince (1954), inspired him to sing, to his last performance in 1991 as Don José in Carmen. Bob sang more than forty leading roles for more than thirty years with fifteen opera companies in New York City not many people know about. 

His story reads like a nail-biting novel, and it’s all true.

Available on Googleplay, Amazon.com, Kindle and all good ebook retailers

Filed under: Guest Authors Tagged: Author, autobiography, GoogleBooks, GooglePlay, interview, memoir, Robert P. Mitchell, Tales Of A Tenacious Tenor, tenor, Writer, Writing

Udemy – Promotional

Hey everyone. We thought we would do a shout-out today for a new course done by yours truly.

For anyone who is working in telesales, call center, or is looking for tips on script development, consider taking this course on Udemy.

Fundamentals Of Telemarketing Workshop.

 

Cheers :)

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