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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 22, 2023  
The spotlight's on a new book in the Christian science fiction dystopian mystery FALLOUT series by Lisa Harris! Learn about SHATTERED (the 5th book in the series) as well as SURVIVAL (the 1st book in the series) on my blog. There's also a great giveaway for a chance to win a spa basket, shower steamers, or facial masks!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2023/02/reviewapalooza-and-giveaway-survival.html

**ABOUT THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES**
In today’s world, law enforcement agencies across the country rely on forensic tools, DNA testing, and crime labs. But what if that technology was suddenly no longer available? No one in the small, west Texas town of Shadow Ridge knows what took down the power grid, or when it’s going to be back up, but everyone knows exactly where they were the moment it went down. And now, with no electricity, no internet, and no modern technology, the men and women responsible for keeping the town safe are going to have to learn how to fight crime all over again.

When one of the men in charge of storing food for the town of Shadow Ridge is found murdered execution style, it’s up to Jace McQuaid to find the killer. What he discovers is a group of organized raiders who are stealing supplies and selling them on the black market—and the survival of the town depends on stopping them.

Morgan Addison’s estranged brother, Ricky, shows up at her house demanding weapons and confirming her fears that he’s a part of the outlaws. Tensions are raised further when Ricky kidnaps her son to ensure his safe passage out of town. Jace must find a way to save Noah and ensure the survival of Shadow Ridge.
     
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
2000 | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Verdict: Dated Christmas Movie

Story: The Grinch starts as we head to Whoville a small town in the snow covered mountain range, the whole town loves Christmas working all year around to get the most out of the season, with decoration you could see from space, above the town lives a grumpy outcast known as the Grinch (Carrey) who hates Christmas.
When a young Who Cindy Lou Who (Momsen) meets the Grinch and learns about his story, she decides to nominate him for the Christmas award, against the wishes of the town Mayor Augustus Maywho (Tambor), which he reluctantly accepts, going against all his own hatred for Christmas, here the Grinch gets embarrassed once again and comes up with a plan to steal Christmas from the whole village.

Thoughts on The Grinch

Characters – The Grinch is a Who that has lived above the town like an outsider who has always hated Christmas, he always looks for small ways to ruin the season, but this year he will steal everything from them and learn that his constant play for revenge has only ever held him back from enjoying his life. Cindy Lou Who is the little girl that is brave enough to stand up against the town in hopes of inviting the Grinch back into the town, she sees the good in him and wants everybody to be included in the Christmas spirit. Mayor Augustus Maywho has always seen and wanted to keep the Grinch out of the town, he believes he can destroy Christmas.
Performances – Jim Carrey is front and centre here, he is very hard to watch in this role because his turns into one of his routines, with unnatural energy for the role. Taylor Momsen as the young girl is the next strongest out of the whole cast, but if we are honest, most of the cast barely get any time to shine.
Story – The story here focuses on a community of Who’s that love Christmas and the one outsider Who that hates it and decides to get his revenge this year, despite a young girl trying to help him find his Christmas Spirit. This is a Dr Seuss book, so we know that everything is going to be very colourful and over the top with world created, at the heart of this film, we are looking to teach to accept everybody in life no matter how different they are. The problem with this comes with the fact that most of the film is Jim Carrey doing his comedy routine to an audience that isn’t even there, we just don’t get that magical feeling the film is trying to create.
Comedy/Fantasy – The comedy in this film does seem to focus on Jim Carrey’s routines, which just aren’t entertaining enough, while the fantasy side of the film shows us the world where the Who’s live in.
Settings – The film does build a nice setting of the town in the shadow of the city, this does help us learn more about the world we are entering.
Special Effects – The effects are used to turn Carrey into the Grinch, mostly all make up, but it ends up looking creepier rather than different.

Scene of the Movie – The door doing the right thing.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The comedy just gets boring.
Final Thoughts – This is a Christmas movie that just doesn’t get out of trying to be a comedy routine for Jim Carrey, losing the message it is trying to give us.

Overall: Sloppy Christmas Film.
  
The peaceful summer in Heavenly, Pennsylvania, is ruined when one of the Amish farmers is murdered. Was he targeted because he is Amish? Or was it part of a string of burglaries hitting that part of town? Claire and Jakob will have to work together to find out.

Once again, we are transported to the town of Heavenly and get to spend time with characters we have come to love. The growth in the characters and their relationships we see here is absolutely amazing. The mystery is good as well. I thought I had it figured out, but I only had a small portion of it figured out. If you like this series, you’ll love this book. And if you have yet to start this series, fix that today.

NOTE: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-review-churn-for-worse-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The Last Picture Show (1971)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
1971 | Classics, Drama
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"It’s hard to believe a movie like this was once considered not only culturally impactful but mainstream. If The Last Picture Show could even get made today, I’m sure it would make a hundred dollars at art houses in New York and Los Angeles before going to Netflix in a month. I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, not far from the setting of The Last Picture Show. Though I lived there in the seventies and early eighties and not the early fifties . . . though my town was in color and not black-and-white . . . Bogdanovich and Larry McMurtry evoke the way life felt for me. I knew some Sam the Lions, was closely related to some of them. As the movie suggests, they are now extinct. Every element of this film succeeds, and yet it is bigger than the sum of its parts. A profound film about the vanishing of character in America."

Source
  
Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
2021 | Horror
Plot (3 more)
Storytelling
Cast
Characters
Another attempt at an 80s style horror. (0 more)
Homage to the 80s part 1
As a fan of 80s and 90s horrors the trailer drew me in but with mild concern.
As stated in the title, this is an obvious homage to the 80s (and early 90s) bringing in likenesses of Wes Wraven (scream) and Sam Raimi (Evil dead) in in wonderful mashup of horror.

Set in a small town seemingly cursed with bad luck, a group of teens find themselves hunted by a dead witch whose sole purpose is to take revenge on the town for her execution a few hundred years before.

On the run and hunted by demonicly possessed victims from years prior, time is not in their side as the teens seek a way to end the chase before they meet a bloody and gruesome end.

The first of a trilogy that did not disappoint and the start of what could potentially be something great.