Carl Alves's Blog, page 3
March 21, 2023
Movie Review: Smile
Smile is the kind of horror movie that works mostly for intangible elements that it brings to the table. The music is creepy. The scares hit at the right times. The acting is pretty credible. There is good creepiness throughout the movie, and it builds pretty well.
What the movie lacks is originality. The plot involves a psychiatrist, Rose, whose patient tells her about being stalked by an unknown entity who is always smiling at her. This eventually drives the woman crazy, and she commits suicide in front of Rose. Now Rose is being haunted and stalked by the same entity that was terrorizing her patient. What she finds is a pattern, where the person who recently committed suicide witnessed a person committing suicide and then goes crazy that goes back to twenty different people. This sort of thing has been done and done again—a curse that keeps being passed from person to person involving an evil entity that must be broken.
So, the movie doesn’t score points for originality, not just in the premise, but within the movie, where it was easy to predict what was going to happen next. Still, it had enough good horror within it to be an enjoyable movie that will make you smile—pun fully intended.
What the movie lacks is originality. The plot involves a psychiatrist, Rose, whose patient tells her about being stalked by an unknown entity who is always smiling at her. This eventually drives the woman crazy, and she commits suicide in front of Rose. Now Rose is being haunted and stalked by the same entity that was terrorizing her patient. What she finds is a pattern, where the person who recently committed suicide witnessed a person committing suicide and then goes crazy that goes back to twenty different people. This sort of thing has been done and done again—a curse that keeps being passed from person to person involving an evil entity that must be broken.
So, the movie doesn’t score points for originality, not just in the premise, but within the movie, where it was easy to predict what was going to happen next. Still, it had enough good horror within it to be an enjoyable movie that will make you smile—pun fully intended.
March 5, 2023
Fray by Rowena Miller
Fray, the second novel in the Unraveled Kingdom Series, fell short of the first novel in the series and my expectations. This novel continues where the other one left off. Now Sophie Balstrade no longer owns her charm/clothing shop and is set to be married to Theodor, the crown prince of the kingdom. They are set to make reforms to their nation’s feudal system of government, but are facing stiff opposition from the nobility who want to maintain the status quo.
Where this novel falls short for me is that it was overly long, and in some cases very dull. Mainly the middle part of the novel where Sophie and Theodor are traveling to Serafin for a meeting for trade among the Equitorial States was dry and often not very interesting. That’s not to say that there weren’t interesting parts in here, but much of that section should have been cut and edited down. I get the impression that the since trilogies are the order of the day in fantasy, the author and publisher wanted to make this a trilogy, but there doesn’t seem to be enough material here to make it a trilogy and keep it entertaining throughout. There also wasn’t much progression in Sophie’s and Theodor’s characters. In fact, Theodor seemed to be less interesting in this novel than he did in the first novel.
The pace of the novel picked up toward the end, and that part was more enjoyable. I’m invested enough to want to keep on reading to complete the trilogy, but with a bit less vigor than before.
Where this novel falls short for me is that it was overly long, and in some cases very dull. Mainly the middle part of the novel where Sophie and Theodor are traveling to Serafin for a meeting for trade among the Equitorial States was dry and often not very interesting. That’s not to say that there weren’t interesting parts in here, but much of that section should have been cut and edited down. I get the impression that the since trilogies are the order of the day in fantasy, the author and publisher wanted to make this a trilogy, but there doesn’t seem to be enough material here to make it a trilogy and keep it entertaining throughout. There also wasn’t much progression in Sophie’s and Theodor’s characters. In fact, Theodor seemed to be less interesting in this novel than he did in the first novel.
The pace of the novel picked up toward the end, and that part was more enjoyable. I’m invested enough to want to keep on reading to complete the trilogy, but with a bit less vigor than before.
Torn by Rowena Miller
I was a bit lukewarm about this novel when I first started reading it, and it took me a while to get into the story, but the more I read, the more I enjoyed this fantasy novel. My hesitation is probably that I like my fantasy novels that are a little more epic in nature with fighting and journeys and the like. This novel is lacking in those areas, but had its own appeal.
In Torn, the main characters is Sophie, a seamstress with magical abilities. She lives in a society where the nobility oppresses the common people. Revolution is fomenting, and one of the key figures is her brother, Kristos. When Sophie’s magical charms catch the attention of some of the nobility, she gets wrapped into their society and wants nothing to do with the revolution, even though she agrees with some elements of it in principle. Further complicating matters, she becomes romantically entangled with a duke. When her brother is kidnapped, she is coerced into helping the revolutionaries.
The novel was slow at first, and that was part of why I wasn’t so into it, but it built up in intrigue as it wore on. I wouldn’t exactly call it riveting, but it held my interest and had a fair bit of tension. There was even a sword fight or two, but it wasn’t particularly well described and not the strongpoint of the novel. What was a strongpoint was character development, and the ability to show merits on both sides of the opposing forces in this revolution. The natural tendency would be to side with the revolutionaries, but the nobility was presented in a sympathetic light as well, and there was a good dichotomy. This is a novel that I would recommend and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
In Torn, the main characters is Sophie, a seamstress with magical abilities. She lives in a society where the nobility oppresses the common people. Revolution is fomenting, and one of the key figures is her brother, Kristos. When Sophie’s magical charms catch the attention of some of the nobility, she gets wrapped into their society and wants nothing to do with the revolution, even though she agrees with some elements of it in principle. Further complicating matters, she becomes romantically entangled with a duke. When her brother is kidnapped, she is coerced into helping the revolutionaries.
The novel was slow at first, and that was part of why I wasn’t so into it, but it built up in intrigue as it wore on. I wouldn’t exactly call it riveting, but it held my interest and had a fair bit of tension. There was even a sword fight or two, but it wasn’t particularly well described and not the strongpoint of the novel. What was a strongpoint was character development, and the ability to show merits on both sides of the opposing forces in this revolution. The natural tendency would be to side with the revolutionaries, but the nobility was presented in a sympathetic light as well, and there was a good dichotomy. This is a novel that I would recommend and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
February 26, 2023
Nocturnal by Scott Sigler
Generally, I’m a big fan of anything that Scott Sigler releases. His novels and short stories are top notch, but I have mixed feelings about Nocturnal. I thought the concept of the story was pretty neat—subterranean beings existing in the tunnels of San Francisco, while the police know about them and sanction the vigilante killing of them. The action sequences in the novel definitely carried it and were well done. The novel has sufficient tension and built to a nice finish, but there were areas that it was lacking.
One of the problem areas was characterization, or the lack of likeable characters. I could never quite get behind Bryan Clauser, the San Francisco detective whose life is upended by ultra vivid dreams and newfound powers as he is investigating the murders committed by these underground monsters. His partner, Pookie Chang was a weak character, who was more of a caricature than anything resembling a person, certainly unlike anyone I have ever encountered. The dialogue, especially any of Pookie’s dialogue was definitely not a strong point of the novel. The monsters in the novel were also generally poor characters with weak dialogue and often times hard to take seriously.
All in all, it was an entertaining novel, but some of the shortcomings mentioned above made it hard for me to get into it.
One of the problem areas was characterization, or the lack of likeable characters. I could never quite get behind Bryan Clauser, the San Francisco detective whose life is upended by ultra vivid dreams and newfound powers as he is investigating the murders committed by these underground monsters. His partner, Pookie Chang was a weak character, who was more of a caricature than anything resembling a person, certainly unlike anyone I have ever encountered. The dialogue, especially any of Pookie’s dialogue was definitely not a strong point of the novel. The monsters in the novel were also generally poor characters with weak dialogue and often times hard to take seriously.
All in all, it was an entertaining novel, but some of the shortcomings mentioned above made it hard for me to get into it.
February 23, 2023
Snow by Ronald Malfi
As far as novels of the apocalypse go (or perhaps the coming of an apocalypse), Snow definitely stands out. I had never read an apocalyptic horror novel where the bringers of doom come in the snow. Typically, I think of snow as serene and peaceful (at least when it first lays and hasn’t turned brown). Not this snow. In this novel, some sort of creatures or entities in the snow take possession of human bodies and kill everyone in their path. Whether these snow creatures are some type of aliens or supernatural entities, it is never revealed, but whatever they are, it certainly makes me think about snow in a whole new light.
When a flight is grounded, Todd Curry and three others foolishly decide to drive through a Midwest snowstorm to their destination. They reach a stranded hitchhiker who leads them to a town that has been under attack by these snow entities. After that, it’s a desperate fight for survival as they find other survivors and attempt to live through the night and escape this town, not knowing if this has spread to other towns.
Besides the innovative concept of the horror in this novel, it was also well written and laced with tension. The main protagonist is easily relatable. He is a flawed person who is desperate to make up for past mistakes and be with his son for Christmas. Any father can understand how that would drive someone to do foolish things, like drive through a massive snowstorm. The horror elements were strong, and overall this was an enjoyable novel.
When a flight is grounded, Todd Curry and three others foolishly decide to drive through a Midwest snowstorm to their destination. They reach a stranded hitchhiker who leads them to a town that has been under attack by these snow entities. After that, it’s a desperate fight for survival as they find other survivors and attempt to live through the night and escape this town, not knowing if this has spread to other towns.
Besides the innovative concept of the horror in this novel, it was also well written and laced with tension. The main protagonist is easily relatable. He is a flawed person who is desperate to make up for past mistakes and be with his son for Christmas. Any father can understand how that would drive someone to do foolish things, like drive through a massive snowstorm. The horror elements were strong, and overall this was an enjoyable novel.
February 9, 2023
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
Oathbringer is yet another good book in the Stormlight Archive series. The story and characters continue to evolve. I have enjoyed each of the first three novels, but this seemed to be a bit better than book two in the series. It suffers from some of the same flaws. It’s a very long novel that drags in places and could use some trimming, but it’s hard to complain too much because the novel holds a lot of intrigue and drama. What I thought was better in Oathbringer was that the stakes and tension were ratcheted up a notch. The deck was further stacked against the protagonist, and there were times when I wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of these difficult situations.
I also thought the author made better use of flashbacks in this novel. There seemed to be more of a purpose to these flashbacks, especially as it pertained to Dalinar Kholin’s journey. It also served to answer many of the questions that to this point had gone unanswered, whereas some of the past ones seemed to only exist to fill space and for character development. Although there were definitely parts of the novel that dragged, it built to a strong conclusion, and then set up the finale of the series quite well. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series, and if you liked the first two novels, this will not disappoint you.
I also thought the author made better use of flashbacks in this novel. There seemed to be more of a purpose to these flashbacks, especially as it pertained to Dalinar Kholin’s journey. It also served to answer many of the questions that to this point had gone unanswered, whereas some of the past ones seemed to only exist to fill space and for character development. Although there were definitely parts of the novel that dragged, it built to a strong conclusion, and then set up the finale of the series quite well. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series, and if you liked the first two novels, this will not disappoint you.
January 16, 2023
Blood of Empire by Brian McClellan
Blood of Empire wraps up what was really an enjoyable, entertaining, and compelling trilogy. Even though the novel was quite long, there wasn’t much fluff to it. There was a strong buildup, both in this third entry and the series as a whole. For the first time, the trilogy goes to Dynize, which I thought was an interesting change, since the reader was able to see not just the Dynize invaders but also their homeland. It gave these invaders a more human aspect.
This novel and series has a little bit of everything. There was lots of fighting, magic, spycraft, treachery, and the threat of a formation of a new god. I think one are where this story suffers is that there is a very large cast of characters, and although most of the main characters are well done, some of the secondary characters are far less well developed. The novel builds well to a climax, but the finish and the actions described were a bit confusing. I didn’t really quite follow what happened toward the end. The last part could have been improved, but overall I was pleased with not just this novel, but the trilogy as a whole. I especially liked the setting and the whole powder mage thing, which was quite different. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
This novel and series has a little bit of everything. There was lots of fighting, magic, spycraft, treachery, and the threat of a formation of a new god. I think one are where this story suffers is that there is a very large cast of characters, and although most of the main characters are well done, some of the secondary characters are far less well developed. The novel builds well to a climax, but the finish and the actions described were a bit confusing. I didn’t really quite follow what happened toward the end. The last part could have been improved, but overall I was pleased with not just this novel, but the trilogy as a whole. I especially liked the setting and the whole powder mage thing, which was quite different. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who enjoys fantasy.
January 2, 2023
Movie Review: Avatar The Way of Water
Although I don’t love the fact that every major movie release these days seems to be a part of some existing franchise, and I don’t necessarily think these new Avatar movies need to be made, that didn’t stop me from going to the theater to watch this movie. And I was not disappointed. There were some things that I didn’t like about the movie, but for the most part it was an enjoyable experience.
For me the highlights of the movie were the visuals. The effects, the CGI, the meticulous way that the world of the Naavi were built, were all top notch. This is the sort of movie that you will want to watch on the big screen. I didn’t see the 3D version, so I’m not sure if that would have enhanced the experience or not. The plot and characters were also better than the original movie. It’s been a while since I last saw it, so that is not as fresh in my mind, but this was a more compelling story.
On the downside, not having seen the original in a while, the beginning of the movie was quite confusing and I thought they could have done a better job of bringing the viewer up to speed in the world of Avatar. I also thought the movie was too long. Three plus hours is just too much for a movie. Specifically, the part I felt that could have been cut down was the part when Jake and his family arrive at the water tribes and integrate themselves into the tribes. They could have slashed a half hour from that part without missing too much.
The good in this movie outweighed the bad and I think this will be an enjoyable experience if you choose to venture into a theater to watch it.
For me the highlights of the movie were the visuals. The effects, the CGI, the meticulous way that the world of the Naavi were built, were all top notch. This is the sort of movie that you will want to watch on the big screen. I didn’t see the 3D version, so I’m not sure if that would have enhanced the experience or not. The plot and characters were also better than the original movie. It’s been a while since I last saw it, so that is not as fresh in my mind, but this was a more compelling story.
On the downside, not having seen the original in a while, the beginning of the movie was quite confusing and I thought they could have done a better job of bringing the viewer up to speed in the world of Avatar. I also thought the movie was too long. Three plus hours is just too much for a movie. Specifically, the part I felt that could have been cut down was the part when Jake and his family arrive at the water tribes and integrate themselves into the tribes. They could have slashed a half hour from that part without missing too much.
The good in this movie outweighed the bad and I think this will be an enjoyable experience if you choose to venture into a theater to watch it.
November 19, 2022
Wrath of Empire by Brian McClellan
In the sequel to Sins of Empire, the novel opens up with the Dynize Empire invading Fatrasta in a full scale war. I had the impression that the entire novel was going to be one battle after another. Fortunately, that was not the case. What made the first novel so good was how it combined strong world building with great characterization and political intrigue. Although I certainly don’t mind a battle scene here and there, it’s not this writer’s strong suit. There was plenty in this novel that made the first novel such a good read.
The novel was told through the viewpoints of the three main characters: Lady Flint, Michel Bravis, and Mad Ben Styke. One of the strongpoints is the characterization. Besides these main characters, there are numerous side characters that are colorful and add depth to the novel. There were strong side plots along with the main plot and various twists and turns along the way. I also liked that that of the two sides in the war, neither of them were either all good or all bad. Like in life, there were positives and negatives on both sides. What set the protagonists apart was that regardless of nation, they had their own sense of morality and justice that they stuck with consistently.
This was a strong novel, perhaps not quite as good as the first book in the story, but it was definitely a worthy follow up. This is definitely one of the better epic fantasy trilogies that I have read and I looked forward to completing the series.
The novel was told through the viewpoints of the three main characters: Lady Flint, Michel Bravis, and Mad Ben Styke. One of the strongpoints is the characterization. Besides these main characters, there are numerous side characters that are colorful and add depth to the novel. There were strong side plots along with the main plot and various twists and turns along the way. I also liked that that of the two sides in the war, neither of them were either all good or all bad. Like in life, there were positives and negatives on both sides. What set the protagonists apart was that regardless of nation, they had their own sense of morality and justice that they stuck with consistently.
This was a strong novel, perhaps not quite as good as the first book in the story, but it was definitely a worthy follow up. This is definitely one of the better epic fantasy trilogies that I have read and I looked forward to completing the series.
November 2, 2022
Black Phone Review
Black Phone is the sort of movie that sneaks up on you and takes you for a ride that you don’t expect. I didn’t have much expectations for this movie coming into it. The only thing I knew about the movie was that it was based on a Joe Hill short story, but that didn’t mean much by itself since adaptations can go either way. The movie crushed any expectations I had and delivered in a way that I have seldomly seen in horror movies from the past decade or so.
The movie was set in the 1970s in a suburb of Denver. It’s part crime drama, part supernatural thriller. In this town, a serial abductor/murderer has been abducting teens. Finney, the main character, becomes a victim of this abduction. Meanwhile, his sister has dreams that give fragments of these abductions. After his kidnapping by the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, Finney is kept in the basement of a house and keeps receiving phone calls on a black phone that has been out of service for decades. The calls come from other kids the Grabber has taken and killed.
This movie is so well written that it comes as a pleasant surprise to the usual drivel I get when watching horror movies such as the Jordan Peele nonsense. I really enjoyed how each of the phone calls lead to the climactic actions. The characters are excellent and the kid actors who play Finney and his sister, Gwen, are surprisingly terrific. The build was suspenseful and intelligent. The climax delivered in a big way. This was the best horror movie I have seen since The Conjuring, and I would give it a strong recommendation. You will not be disappointed.
The movie was set in the 1970s in a suburb of Denver. It’s part crime drama, part supernatural thriller. In this town, a serial abductor/murderer has been abducting teens. Finney, the main character, becomes a victim of this abduction. Meanwhile, his sister has dreams that give fragments of these abductions. After his kidnapping by the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, Finney is kept in the basement of a house and keeps receiving phone calls on a black phone that has been out of service for decades. The calls come from other kids the Grabber has taken and killed.
This movie is so well written that it comes as a pleasant surprise to the usual drivel I get when watching horror movies such as the Jordan Peele nonsense. I really enjoyed how each of the phone calls lead to the climactic actions. The characters are excellent and the kid actors who play Finney and his sister, Gwen, are surprisingly terrific. The build was suspenseful and intelligent. The climax delivered in a big way. This was the best horror movie I have seen since The Conjuring, and I would give it a strong recommendation. You will not be disappointed.
