Sci-Fi Bri's Books: James Patterson's "You've Been Warned" (2007)
Would-be professional photographer Kristin Burns resorts to eking out a living as a nanny to a family the patriarch of which she is having a torrid, secret affair with and his shrewish wife is oblivious about. Every night she wakes up in her apartment screaming. She either dreams or has visions about a deadly accident or murder(s), which may or may not be supernatural. A rather long book, but interesting and has chapters of no more than two or three pages. After reading this I will probably read other books by the same author.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Hitchcock" (2012)
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Hitchcock" (2012)
Characters/Actors: Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins), Alma (Helen Mirren), Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johanssen), Jessica Biel, etc.
Biopic about master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock and his unsung partner and spouse Alma during the making of his most famous and successful film, "Psycho". The unrecognizable Anthony Hopkins plus the performance of Helen Mirren are reasons alone to see the film. Also, it mentions that the movie and book it was based on was loosely based on the life of a real-life killer.
"Argo" Dir. Ben Affleck
Actors: Ben "Good Will Hunting" Affleck, Alan "Little Miss Sunshine Arkin, John "Barton Fink" Goodman, etc.
Supposedly based on a true story, in which a CIA agent solicits Hollywood to write a script for a fake movie as a ruse to rescue some escaped hostages in Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979. "Argo" is the name of the fake movie about a science-fiction space story a la "Star Wars". It sounded a little too good to be true, but it was a really interesting and suspenseful film. The movie or some of the cast will probably be nominated for acting or film awards.
Characters/Actors: Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins), Alma (Helen Mirren), Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johanssen), Jessica Biel, etc.
Biopic about master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock and his unsung partner and spouse Alma during the making of his most famous and successful film, "Psycho". The unrecognizable Anthony Hopkins plus the performance of Helen Mirren are reasons alone to see the film. Also, it mentions that the movie and book it was based on was loosely based on the life of a real-life killer.
"Argo" Dir. Ben Affleck
Actors: Ben "Good Will Hunting" Affleck, Alan "Little Miss Sunshine Arkin, John "Barton Fink" Goodman, etc.
Supposedly based on a true story, in which a CIA agent solicits Hollywood to write a script for a fake movie as a ruse to rescue some escaped hostages in Iran during the hostage crisis of 1979. "Argo" is the name of the fake movie about a science-fiction space story a la "Star Wars". It sounded a little too good to be true, but it was a really interesting and suspenseful film. The movie or some of the cast will probably be nominated for acting or film awards.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Django Unchained" Rated R
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Django Unchained" Rated R
Dir.: Quentin "Pulp Fiction" Tarentino
Characters/Actors: Django (Jamie "Ray" Foxx), Dr. King Schulz (Christoph "Inglourious Basterds" Waltz, Broomhilda (Kerry Tv's "Scandal" Wahington), Calvin Candie (Leonardo "Titanic" Dicaprio), Big Daddy (Don "Miami Vice" Johnson) Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Jonah Hill, James Remar, Bruce Dern, Quentin Tarentino, etc.
A few years before the Civil War, bounty hunter Dr. King Schulz , a former dentist and immigrant from Germany, purchases a slave named Django after a violent encounter with one of his masters. That slave master ends up shot to death. Schulz makes an agreement with Django to assist the German in finding the "Brittle Brothers" notorious outlaws and brutal slave owners. If Django will point out the Brittle brothers he will be freed. Schulz becomes a mentor and friend to Django, and is the only white person to treat the former slave with kindness and respect. When Schulz discovers that Django's wife "Broomhilda" or "Hildie" speaks fluent German and is also enslaved he offers to help Django find her and liberate her from servanthood. After a high body count and a hundred or more untterances of "the N word", Django and Schulz meet their match in the villainous Calvin Candie, a falmboyant slave owner, who owns Django's wife "Hildie". Django and Schulz travel the South from Texas to Tennessee. Although the violence is graphic and bloody, and the liberal use of the "N word" by nearly everyone is shocking, this movie was excellent and had great dialogue. I predict that Christoph Waltz , if not Jamie Foxx will at least be nominated for acting awards for their performance in this movie.
"Love and Other Drugs" (2010)
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, etc.
A cocky sales rep. (Jake Gyllenhaal meets and soon falls in love with a Beautiful young woman (Anne Hathaway) with Parkinson's disease who he meets on the job. THe movie takes a sad, serious turn when Hathaway's character shows degenerates due to the disease. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I liked it more than I expected to.
"Chill Factor" (1999)
Actors: Skeet "Scream" Ullrich, Cuba "Boys in the Hood" Gooding, Jr., David Paymer, etc.
A ne'er-do-well (Skeet Ullrich) and an ice cream man (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) travel in a refrigerated truck with a lethal device that will detonate if the temperature goes above fifty degrees Fahrenheit with terrorists, the military, and terrorists in hot pursuit. A very exciting, suspenseful and action-packed film.
"The Guilt Trip"
Actors: Seth "Knocked Up" Rogan, Barbara Streisand, etc.
A thirtyish entrepreneur (Seth Rogan) goes on an eight day road trip with his devoted but overbearing mother (Barbara Streisand) hoping to sell an eco-friendly cleaning product. Much funnier than I expected it to be.
Dir.: Quentin "Pulp Fiction" Tarentino
Characters/Actors: Django (Jamie "Ray" Foxx), Dr. King Schulz (Christoph "Inglourious Basterds" Waltz, Broomhilda (Kerry Tv's "Scandal" Wahington), Calvin Candie (Leonardo "Titanic" Dicaprio), Big Daddy (Don "Miami Vice" Johnson) Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Jonah Hill, James Remar, Bruce Dern, Quentin Tarentino, etc.
A few years before the Civil War, bounty hunter Dr. King Schulz , a former dentist and immigrant from Germany, purchases a slave named Django after a violent encounter with one of his masters. That slave master ends up shot to death. Schulz makes an agreement with Django to assist the German in finding the "Brittle Brothers" notorious outlaws and brutal slave owners. If Django will point out the Brittle brothers he will be freed. Schulz becomes a mentor and friend to Django, and is the only white person to treat the former slave with kindness and respect. When Schulz discovers that Django's wife "Broomhilda" or "Hildie" speaks fluent German and is also enslaved he offers to help Django find her and liberate her from servanthood. After a high body count and a hundred or more untterances of "the N word", Django and Schulz meet their match in the villainous Calvin Candie, a falmboyant slave owner, who owns Django's wife "Hildie". Django and Schulz travel the South from Texas to Tennessee. Although the violence is graphic and bloody, and the liberal use of the "N word" by nearly everyone is shocking, this movie was excellent and had great dialogue. I predict that Christoph Waltz , if not Jamie Foxx will at least be nominated for acting awards for their performance in this movie.
"Love and Other Drugs" (2010)
Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, etc.
A cocky sales rep. (Jake Gyllenhaal meets and soon falls in love with a Beautiful young woman (Anne Hathaway) with Parkinson's disease who he meets on the job. THe movie takes a sad, serious turn when Hathaway's character shows degenerates due to the disease. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I liked it more than I expected to.
"Chill Factor" (1999)
Actors: Skeet "Scream" Ullrich, Cuba "Boys in the Hood" Gooding, Jr., David Paymer, etc.
A ne'er-do-well (Skeet Ullrich) and an ice cream man (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) travel in a refrigerated truck with a lethal device that will detonate if the temperature goes above fifty degrees Fahrenheit with terrorists, the military, and terrorists in hot pursuit. A very exciting, suspenseful and action-packed film.
"The Guilt Trip"
Actors: Seth "Knocked Up" Rogan, Barbara Streisand, etc.
A thirtyish entrepreneur (Seth Rogan) goes on an eight day road trip with his devoted but overbearing mother (Barbara Streisand) hoping to sell an eco-friendly cleaning product. Much funnier than I expected it to be.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Poetry: "Drunk Uncle"
Poetry: "Drunk Uncle"
He's as mean as a snake
He might make you quake
He's a big Horse's Ass
With a drink in a glass
Is he someone to fear
When he's buzzed from his beer?
He's never been a giver
I don't envy his liver...
He's as mean as a snake
He might make you quake
He's a big Horse's Ass
With a drink in a glass
Is he someone to fear
When he's buzzed from his beer?
He's never been a giver
I don't envy his liver...
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Maximum Conviction"
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Maximum Conviction" (2012) (Currently available on Pay Per View
Starring: Steven Seagal, Steve Austin, Michael ("The Warriors") Pare', etc.
Two military contractors (Steven Seagal and former pro wrestler Steve Austin) helping to shut down top secret CIA black site prison protect two female inmates from ruthless mercenaries. One inmate is in league with the bad guys. The other one is a spy with valuable information implanted in her chest. This is one of the best action films I have seen in a while. I was particularly impressed by the fighting skills of the female villainess (Lauro Chartrand or Aliyah O'Brien). This was at least ten times better than the "Expendables" pictures, like a Scwarzennegger movie with two badass action stars.
Starring: Steven Seagal, Steve Austin, Michael ("The Warriors") Pare', etc.
Two military contractors (Steven Seagal and former pro wrestler Steve Austin) helping to shut down top secret CIA black site prison protect two female inmates from ruthless mercenaries. One inmate is in league with the bad guys. The other one is a spy with valuable information implanted in her chest. This is one of the best action films I have seen in a while. I was particularly impressed by the fighting skills of the female villainess (Lauro Chartrand or Aliyah O'Brien). This was at least ten times better than the "Expendables" pictures, like a Scwarzennegger movie with two badass action stars.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Life of Pi"
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Life of Pi"
Characters/Actors: Piscine Patel (?), Gerard Depardieu, etc.
A middle-aged India(n) man tells an author a wondrous tale about how in his youth he survived on a tiny boat with a fierce, hungry tiger on the loose. As a boy, Piscine Patel is teased relentlessly by classmates for his name which when spoken sounds like "Pissing". He quickly insists that his name be shortened to Pi. Pi's father is a businessman who owns a zoo. When the father attempts to relocate the family by way of ship, the entire menagerie from the zoo ends up aboard. En route to Canada, there is a storm, which causes the ship to sink. Pi ends up on a small boat with a wild hyena, a zebra, an orangatan, and a tiger which is hiding or sleeping under a tarp. Before long the animals conflict, and start to attack each other and some of who snap at Pi. Before long, the sole survivors on the rowboat are Pi and the tiger, who he has named "Richard Parker". Pi is afraid of the tiger, and with good reason, but he manages to survive without having to kill the magnificent beast. He grows to love the tiger as a companion. There is a certain spiritual dimension to the film, and it is visually stunning. I enjoyed this film much more than I expected to. It is up to the audience to decide whether or not to believe the story the grownup Pi tells the author is true or merely symbolic. Based on a popular novel.
Characters/Actors: Piscine Patel (?), Gerard Depardieu, etc.
A middle-aged India(n) man tells an author a wondrous tale about how in his youth he survived on a tiny boat with a fierce, hungry tiger on the loose. As a boy, Piscine Patel is teased relentlessly by classmates for his name which when spoken sounds like "Pissing". He quickly insists that his name be shortened to Pi. Pi's father is a businessman who owns a zoo. When the father attempts to relocate the family by way of ship, the entire menagerie from the zoo ends up aboard. En route to Canada, there is a storm, which causes the ship to sink. Pi ends up on a small boat with a wild hyena, a zebra, an orangatan, and a tiger which is hiding or sleeping under a tarp. Before long the animals conflict, and start to attack each other and some of who snap at Pi. Before long, the sole survivors on the rowboat are Pi and the tiger, who he has named "Richard Parker". Pi is afraid of the tiger, and with good reason, but he manages to survive without having to kill the magnificent beast. He grows to love the tiger as a companion. There is a certain spiritual dimension to the film, and it is visually stunning. I enjoyed this film much more than I expected to. It is up to the audience to decide whether or not to believe the story the grownup Pi tells the author is true or merely symbolic. Based on a popular novel.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Sc-Fi Bri's TV Pick: "American Horror Story:Asylum"
Sci-Fi Bri's TV Pick: "American Horror Story:Asylum" (Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX Network)
Starring: Jessica "King Kong" Lange, Jeremy "TV's 'Heroes'" Quinto, James "Babe" Cromwell, etc.
This show is about the hell on earth known as Briarcliff Hospital, ruthlessly run by nuns. This insane asylum makes the hospital in Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" seem like a country club, and the nuns could make Nurse Ratched look like a sympathetic figure. At Briarcliff, a 1960s hospital, the staff is at least as sick, twisted and depraved than the worst of its patients, if not more so. One nun, was once an alcoholic floozy who is guilty about a hit and run accident she once committed. Another one may be possessed. One doctor may be a former Nazi, and another may be a serial killer. The Perdition that exists within Briarcliff is simultaneously horrifying and fascinating. It is definitely not for children or the squeamish, but it will be popular among horror movie fans.
Starring: Jessica "King Kong" Lange, Jeremy "TV's 'Heroes'" Quinto, James "Babe" Cromwell, etc.
This show is about the hell on earth known as Briarcliff Hospital, ruthlessly run by nuns. This insane asylum makes the hospital in Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" seem like a country club, and the nuns could make Nurse Ratched look like a sympathetic figure. At Briarcliff, a 1960s hospital, the staff is at least as sick, twisted and depraved than the worst of its patients, if not more so. One nun, was once an alcoholic floozy who is guilty about a hit and run accident she once committed. Another one may be possessed. One doctor may be a former Nazi, and another may be a serial killer. The Perdition that exists within Briarcliff is simultaneously horrifying and fascinating. It is definitely not for children or the squeamish, but it will be popular among horror movie fans.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Flight" Rated R
Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Flight" Rated R for nudity, profanity, drinking and drug use
Dir. Robert "Forrest Gump" Zemeckis
Characters/Actors: William Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, John ("Barton Fink") Goodman,Melissa Leo, Nadine ("My Name Is Earl") Velazquez, etc.
After a night of heavy drinking and cocaine indulgence, commercial pilot Whip Whitaker flies a jet plane while intoxicated, but he manages to save over one hundred passengers by flying upside down. Since six lives were lost, including two flight attendants, there is a federal investigation of the plane crash. If it comes to light that Whitaker drank just before he flew he could spend several years in prison. His union rep. hires a lawyer to get Whip out of trouble, if only Whitaker will stay sober at least until the investigation is finished. For a short time, after his lady friend dies in the crash, Whitaker pours out all of his liquor and beer, but as with most drunks he soon makes up for lost time. Whitaker lost his former wife and son due to his drinking. While taking a smoke break at the hospital where he is recovering from injuries from the crash, he meets a woman who is struggling to recover from a serious drug addiction. She gets clean, while Whip is still in denial about his problem drinking. I enjoyed this movie, but the heavy drinking kind of made me cringe.
Dir. Robert "Forrest Gump" Zemeckis
Characters/Actors: William Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, John ("Barton Fink") Goodman,Melissa Leo, Nadine ("My Name Is Earl") Velazquez, etc.
After a night of heavy drinking and cocaine indulgence, commercial pilot Whip Whitaker flies a jet plane while intoxicated, but he manages to save over one hundred passengers by flying upside down. Since six lives were lost, including two flight attendants, there is a federal investigation of the plane crash. If it comes to light that Whitaker drank just before he flew he could spend several years in prison. His union rep. hires a lawyer to get Whip out of trouble, if only Whitaker will stay sober at least until the investigation is finished. For a short time, after his lady friend dies in the crash, Whitaker pours out all of his liquor and beer, but as with most drunks he soon makes up for lost time. Whitaker lost his former wife and son due to his drinking. While taking a smoke break at the hospital where he is recovering from injuries from the crash, he meets a woman who is struggling to recover from a serious drug addiction. She gets clean, while Whip is still in denial about his problem drinking. I enjoyed this movie, but the heavy drinking kind of made me cringe.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Some Recent Poetic Works in Progress
Some Recent Poetic Works in Progress:
"Auburn Hair"
I love your auburn hair,/But you don't seem to care/ When I call you on your cell/ You ignore me and make me feel like hell...
"I paid my rent"
I paid my rent and sent it in/ I stole your car and took a spin/ It didn't make up for my bad sin/I shaved and then I cut my skin/ I try so hard but cannot win... (tbc?)
"Auburn Hair"
I love your auburn hair,/But you don't seem to care/ When I call you on your cell/ You ignore me and make me feel like hell...
"I paid my rent"
I paid my rent and sent it in/ I stole your car and took a spin/ It didn't make up for my bad sin/I shaved and then I cut my skin/ I try so hard but cannot win... (tbc?)
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