A. Renee Hunt's Blog, page 50

Agatha

*Movie Review
     I wasn't sure what could happen in less than ten minutes, but I can happily say: A LOT!  Agatha is an 8-minute film about an orphan girl, paid to do one simple job: Deliver a plate of food to a small table.  Say nothing, touch nothing and go no further than the table.  The orphan girl does what's expected of her...  

     This was a brief moment of pure AWESOMENESS!  I don't know why I didn't think of what was happening!  They showed just what I shoudl have been focusing on, yet I totally missed it- catching on, only when it was too late, and I LOVED IT!  It was of those
"Awwwww" moments that made you sad and revel in your entertainment simultaneously!  Agatha is good - you have to catch it upon release!
Don't Miss It! Agatha
Written & Directed by Timothy Vandenberg
Produced by John Machioni and Timothy Vandenberg
2016

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

*Audiobook Review      So here's a story that takes you to the 1800's.  A tale of murder, mystery and romance; what could be better than that?  Young Josephine Montfort, is on a mission that's not good for her reputation, her future in marriage, as well as her health!  Everything she's not supposed to be doing, she goes up against, for the love of her father.  Written by Jennifer Donnelly, this piece of historical fiction is full an adventure for anyone.      While stewing behind the walls of a rich girl's school, discussing kittens and future beaus, Jo wants to become a reporter, healing the world of its atrocities through words, but she's given terrible news.  Her father's dead from an apparent accident, but the so-called tragedy doesn't make sense.

     Jo sets out to set things right by doing what no upstanding woman ever should, she goes out at night, unattended.  She walks the streets where women are selling their bodies to  investigate.  And she does most of this with a man who isn't the one she's to ever consider casual friendship, let alone marriage!  With her chances of marrying a very handsome and caring, eligible bachelor with money out the window, Jo breaks all the rules to find out if her father's death was truly an accident or murder, "gasp!"

     This was my first Donnelly novel and I loved every minute of it.  Though I was given the book, I purchased the audiobook, not remembering it was on my shelf.  The story was wonderfully written, allowing Donnelly to carry me away.  Though difficult to relate, those times were dastardly, I found myself loving every bit of the novel, and Jo, the female heroine.

     Period pieces can sometimes be extremely dull, but not with These Shallow Graves.  Not one minute was wasted on blather and Victorian garble.  It was direct, carefully detailed without overkill and easy to visualize while reading. Though I figured out who did what, and why, before the telling, it was such a pleasant read. You really should grab a copy, whether audio or physical.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

​I'm off to the next read! These Shallow Graves
Jennifer Donnelly
Narrated by Kim Bubbs
New Random House
September 23, 2015

Quan Mello by Jay Light

     I remember when I didn't read urban fiction, due to the graphic violence, drugs and other negatives that kept folks down.  Thankfully, Quan Mello, by Jay Light wasn't like that.  Yes, there was a bit of violence, but it didn't dominate the story, neither did the other dislikes.  The story held a truth to the music industry that I recognized and lived through, like the trials of Biggie Smalls and Tupac.  Those issues weren't lost on me, and Quan Mello endured a bit of it as well - no shocker there.  

Here's the blurb:
My name is Quan-Mello Brooks and I'm from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, My father I never knew him my Brother's got caught up in the streets, Both doin bids in the system. All I had was a nagging mother and my own dreams and Ambitions to succeed at something because punching a time clock wasn't meant for me. I didn't sling Crack rock and I didn't have a wicked jump shot. But I had the dope lyrics to make a hot track. I made the raps and sold millions of records world wide; Rapper, M.C, Entrapanuer, C.E.O. Its not what I did or even how I did it, it's what happened after I did it all. Gaining new friends losing old friends, raps beefs, Label beefs, deaths and success! So you tell me, in the end was it all worth it?      The story carried the desires of a young man, looking to have a better life, but doing it in all the wrong ways.  He couldn't keep a job, due to a negative mind set, yet he managed to know enough friends with the same aspirations as himself to make things happen.  They helped each other and created a label, a rap mogul and various artists under their wings.  It was everything he'd dreamed, but as the phrase goes, "More money, more problems."

     Quan Mello was different for me.  I felt the attemps to attach but the characters weren't that relatable for me.  I understood what they were doing, but sometimes I had no clue what they were saying!  I laugh about it, thinking I'm not black enough, but I caught on for the most part.  Though a bit vague, some characters were given enough meat for me to see them, but not all- even with the author giving height, weight and a feature here and there.

     What I had a tough time with was the book itself.  There were many errors and that's tough for readers, in order to keep them engaged.  If they stumple over wording, such as using "ah" instead of "a", they could easily lose interest as well.  The story's message was loud and clear though and I liked that.

Check out Quan Mello, by Jay Light, while I move on to the next read.

Quan Mello
Jay Light
Create Space Independent Publishing Platform
July 16, 2015

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

*Audiobook Review      So here's a story that takes you to the 1800's.  A tale of murder, mystery and romance; what could be better than that?  Young Josephine Montfort, is on a mission that's not good for her reputation, her future in marriage, as well as her health!  Everything she's not supposed to be doing, she goes up against, for the love of her father.  Written by Jennifer Donnelly, this piece of historical fiction is full an adventure for anyone.      While stewing behind the walls of a rich girl's school, discussing kittens and future beaus, Jo wants to become a reporter, healing the world of its atrocities through words, but she's given terrible news.  Her father's dead from an apparent accident, but the so-called tragedy doesn't make sense.

     Jo sets out to set things right by doing what no upstanding woman ever should, she goes out at night, unattended.  She walks the streets where women are selling their bodies to  investigate.  And she does most of this with a man who isn't the one she's to ever consider casual friendship, let alone marriage!  With her chances of marrying a very handsome and caring, eligible bachelor with money out the window, Jo breaks all the rules to find out if her father's death was truly an accident or murder, "gasp!"

     This was my first Donnelly novel and I loved every minute of it.  Though I was given the book, I purchased the audiobook, not remembering it was on my shelf.  The story was wonderfully written, allowing Donnelly to carry me away.  Though difficult to relate, those times were dastardly, I found myself loving every bit of the novel, and Jo, the female heroine.

     Period pieces can sometimes be extremely dull, but not with These Shallow Graves.  Not one minute was wasted on blather and Victorian garble.  It was direct, carefully detailed without overkill and easy to visualize while reading. Though I figured out who did what, and why, before the telling, it was such a pleasant read. You really should grab a copy, whether audio or physical.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

​I'm off to the next read! These Shallow Graves
Jennifer Donnelly
Narrated by Kim Bubbs
New Random House
September 23, 2015

Quan Mello by Jay Light

     I remember when I didn't read urban fiction, due to the graphic violence, drugs and other negatives that kept folks down.  Thankfully, Quan Mello, by Jay Light wasn't like that.  Yes, there was a bit of violence, but it didn't dominate the story, neither did the other dislikes.  The story held a truth to the music industry that I recognized and lived through, like the trials of Biggie Smalls and Tupac.  Those issues weren't lost on me, and Quan Mello endured a bit of it as well - no shocker there.  

Here's the blurb:
My name is Quan-Mello Brooks and I'm from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, My father I never knew him my Brother's got caught up in the streets, Both doin bids in the system. All I had was a nagging mother and my own dreams and Ambitions to succeed at something because punching a time clock wasn't meant for me. I didn't sling Crack rock and I didn't have a wicked jump shot. But I had the dope lyrics to make a hot track. I made the raps and sold millions of records world wide; Rapper, M.C, Entrapanuer, C.E.O. Its not what I did or even how I did it, it's what happened after I did it all. Gaining new friends losing old friends, raps beefs, Label beefs, deaths and success! So you tell me, in the end was it all worth it?      The story carried the desires of a young man, looking to have a better life, but doing it in all the wrong ways.  He couldn't keep a job, due to a negative mind set, yet he managed to know enough friends with the same aspirations as himself to make things happen.  They helped each other and created a label, a rap mogul and various artists under their wings.  It was everything he'd dreamed, but as the phrase goes, "More money, more problems."

     Quan Mello was different for me.  I felt the attemps to attach but the characters weren't that relatable for me.  I understood what they were doing, but sometimes I had no clue what they were saying!  I laugh about it, thinking I'm not black enough, but I caught on for the most part.  Though a bit vague, some characters were given enough meat for me to see them, but not all- even with the author giving height, weight and a feature here and there.

     What I had a tough time with was the book itself.  There were many errors and that's tough for readers, in order to keep them engaged.  If they stumple over wording, such as using "ah" instead of "a", they could easily lose interest as well.  The story's message was loud and clear though and I liked that.

Check out Quan Mello, by Jay Light, while I move on to the next read.

Quan Mello
Jay Light
Create Space Independent Publishing Platform
July 16, 2015

Go North

Written by Matt Ogens and Kyle Lierman      What do you do, as a teenager, when all the adults vanish from the world?  Where do you go and how do you survive?  You let the high school jocks take over! Go North, written by Matt Ogens, is a movie that tells what takes place when an epidemic, possibly a pandemic hits the world, leaving teens and younger in the rubble.

     Josh has adjusted to his new surroundings, but he doesn't want to stay for long.  Older children run the community, in which he lives, making him rise and attend school each day, work the garden, and adhere to the rules.  The rules are easy, but if one is broken, enforcers with heavy hands judge the offender. The enforcers are bullies in letterman jackets.  When Josh helps a girl, sister to the head jock, he's targeted for punishment.  So he runs, and  the adventure begins.      Go North does its best to stir emotions for the youth left behind, but what it really did was raise questions.  Exactly what happened to the adults?  Through Josh's flashbacks, we are introduced to his mother and father during a state of emergency.  Everyone's on the run, headed south for some reason, but a lone radio broadcast tells them to go north instead.  

     Why? It's never explained, but the children left behind do learn to care for themselves.  They just have to work beneath the despotic rule of about four or five bullish guys.  I don't understand how a handful of athletes can run an entire village, with no weapons, either.  It reminded me of a modern day version of Lord of the Flies, but even they had spears to run things.

     Lastly, I didn't understand the timeline.  If everything happened in less than a year, how had the wildlife become so overgrown?  How had the homes become dilapidated, as though abandoned for years?  The children also lived in fear, as if something was out there, past the tunnel that lead away from their home. I saw nothing but a dead world and wild dogs.

     The movie held my interest, but by a thread.  It was nice to see Patrick Schwarzenegger in a film, but even he wasn't enough to bring some punch to this picture. Go North, pretty much, went south for me.  Go North
Written by Matt Ogens and Kyle Lierman
Directed by Matt Ogens
January 13, 2017

Darkest Day

*Movie Review      Whenever I review indie movies, I have to remember, many are coming from an extremely low budget- this one was £1,000.  My mantra is: Focus on the story- Focus on the FX- Focus on the acting, etc. With Darkest Days, I got to focus on what I believe was the location of Brighton, as well as the story and so forth. This is a British horror B-movie, but does it measure up to my expectations of horror?
 
The story is about Dan, who's lost his memory.  After literally running in to some survivors of what is now an abandoned city, he discovers a viral outbreak occurred, and people have become feral with infection. While he finds himself a place within the bunch, the military is hunting him, and like the bloodthirsty creatures hidden within the city, they won't stop. Darkest Days, working on a premise similar to 28 Days Later, is about the world losing out to a virus that morphs a person into a raging creature. Though most of the creatures just beat the living crap out of you, one does eat a victim, so possibly zombie-ish as well. But the storyline’s similarities end there. Dan has an unknown secret, which worked for the movie, but it wasn’t enough, due to the amateur acting and lackluster cinematography.
 
The acting was weak, and due to poor character development, they weren’t very likable or attachable. The cinematography needed stabilization, though the shakiness did work for the violent scenes, to not gross out the viewers.  Even focus and sound were issues, which should have been cleared up, since it took seven years to make.  
 
All in all, Darkest Days was mildly entertaining, but without a strong, original storyline, I’m not sure it will hit big in the industry. Darkest Days released in May 2015.  Darkest Days
Directed and written by Dan Rickard
Produced by Simon Drake
May 8, 2015

Stella's Emancipation, book 2 in the Stella Series by Rhonda K. Ryde

     When you want a good story on romance, power, a bit of erotica and even information on Jehovah's Witnesses- look no further than Stella Welsh! Her story, will keep you turning page after incredible page.

     The Stella's Emancipation, written by Rhonda Rhyde, continues where Stella's Awakening left off. Stella is home, dealing with an inner battle; trying to figure out if she wants to remain under her parents' thumbs and the heavy hand of the Jehovah's Witness community.  Filled with regret and a longing to get back home and to Conrad, she decides to take her life by the reigns for once. She's ready to leave the Witnesses behind, but will her newfound independence also find her leaving the man she loves behind as well?       Book 2 of the Stella series was just as incredible as the first. From beginning to end, I found myself engaged within her story. The way Stella was written, I found her true to life and so realistic, I ached for her.  I found her thoughts and reactions to situations near my own if faced with such issues.  A few.  

     I did see a bit of her troubles coming, such as Conrad kept things moving at a pace that I felt was dangerous, long before Stella identified them.  BUT she did see what was happening and she reacted; she may have turned her back on issues, but she didn't ignore them.  I loved that about her, because that's real.  We've all done that.  

     Because Stella's Emancipation is taken from such a personal background, it's easy to see how Rhyde was able to bring Stella to life.  She's one of my favorite reads and I have her placed on a special shelf in my library.  I'll always share her story, but not my books!  They're special, just like her!  I'm on to the next read now.  Check out Stella's Awakening and Stella's Emancipation, available everywhere!

Stella's Emancipation, Book 2
Rhonda K. Ryde
CreateSpace, Independent Publishing
November 18, 2016

The Product by Bruce Memblatt

*Clicking on the photo will take you to the author's Amazon page. A long time ago, I used to hate short stories.  I felt they were a rip-off, because I felt cut off. Just as it seemed the story should have truly taken off, it was over.  It used to make me mad; I kid you not.  For years, I didn't purchase short stories, but that didn't happen with this awesome tale!

     The Product, by Bruce Memblatt, was creepy!  It told of Robin, a woman torn at the loss of her boyfriend.  Though they weren't a long-term couple, Robin shared how deeply in love she was with Shane.  She loved everything about him and let the man of a company  (DMG) that she wanted him back.  She explained how her life was meaningless without the love of her life.  So, with DNA belonging to Shane, a new Shane was made.  A machine, a replica and an illusion.

The Product was a sharing of what could result from our selfishness, in a time where letting go is viewed as a life-sentence. The Product was written well and kept me engaged. I felt bad for both Robin and Shane but also fearful, because nothing was going right!

     I loved this read, and will most definitely look for more by Memblatt!

The Product, Digital Horror Fiction Short Story
Bruce Memblatt
Published by Digital Horror Fiction, an imprint of Digital Fiction Publishing Corp.; 1.01 edition
October 9, 2016

Siren

*Movie Review      If there is any message to take away from this movie, it is to never follow a complete stranger, met in a bar, to a party into what appears to be the backwoods!  How could these guys have been so stupid? This is the movie that is called Siren.

     Siren is about a bunch of guys looking for a good time, to celebrate Jonah's final night as single.  After following a stranger to a mansion in the woods, looking for a good time, they enter and celebrate a night of imminent debauchery... but it doesn't happen.  Instead, they rescue a seemingly imprisoned woman and run.  Sadly, the danger they intended to flee was with them all along.

     Two friends, Jonah and his brother, the Best Man, end up in the midst of a cruel entertainer, and a fabled creature that says in its cutest voice: "I like you."      I really have to do my best to not give anything away in Siren, because I really liked it!  At first, because it's from the Chiller channel, I thought it would be pretty hoaky.  Every now and then Chiller comes out with something good; I believe this is one of them.

     The movie put me in mind of From Dusk Till Dawn and Jeepers Creepers- the ending especially!  Though it felt familiar, the story was original and carried its own.  The FX were awesome and I loved her face!  I can't say what I mean- you'll know when you see though! No SPOILERS and all.

     Siren's dark and mysterious theme was more than I bargained for.  My only wish was for more of a backstory on her.  It would have made the tale that much jucier.  But no regrets and I think the movie will do well for horror fans out there.  Not gory but with light sex and nudity- because it goes with what she is, Siren is a sure win to me! Siren
Directed by Gregg Bishop
Story by DAvid Bruckner & Nicholas Tecosky
Produced by Gary Brinkow and Jude S. Walko
December 2, 2016