Sunday, October 19, 2014

Review - Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.


I've been blogging for over five years and I would have never thought I would be reviewing a PC game, but that is exactly what I'm doing today - writing a review for the recently released Nancy Drew: Labyrinth of Lies (retails at $19.99).

Almost everyone has  probably heard of Nancy Drew, the popular young adult mystery series was originally created by Edward Stratemeyer, but most of the books were ghostwritten. Many spin-offs soon followed, including The Nancy Drew Files, Nancy Drew Notebooks, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, Nancy Drew On Campus, Nancy Drew Diaries and Nancy Drew, Girl Detective. Though many of us probably remember the character from the ABC short-lived series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and the 2007 feature film with Emma Roberts playing Nancy Drew.

Starting in 1998, Her Interactive began the Nancy Drew: A Mystery Adventure PC game series. Fast forward to 2014, the series has just released its 31st case, titled Nancy Drew: Labyrinith of Lies. Similar to other games in the series, this installment is rated E10+!


Of the course the plot of the game centers on the one and the only Nancy Drew (voiced by Lani Minella), who has been hired by the curator, Melina Rosi, of the Phidias Cultural Center in Greece to help out during the museum's most anticipated event of the year - Persephone in Winter, a play about the myth of Persephone. The play will take place in the amphitheater in the attempt to bring in a new visitors for the Life in Ancient Greece exhibit.

The Legend of Mandy Lane



About every horror fan has heard about the legend behind the slasher flick All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, which starred a young Amber Heard as Mandy Lane. Directed by Jonathan Levine, the movie was actually filmed in early 2006, but never received a DVD/Blu-ray release in the United States until December 2013, mostly due to distribution problems. However, the movie did make its round in several film festivals film festivals throughout 2006 and 2007, and it did get a official theatrical release in the United Kingdom.

Set in Texas, the film centers on an outsider, Mandy Lane, who happens to blossom over the summer and all the boys at her school take notice. She is invited to attend a pool party that is being hosted by the rich jock Dylan and she brings her best-friend, Emmett (played by Michael Welch), with her. After an accident occurs resulting in Dylan's death, Mandy breaks ties with Emmett.

Nine month later, the boys at her high school are still drooling over her. A popular student, Red (played by Aaron Himelstein), invites her to stay at his family's ranch where he is having a party with his friends, Chloe (played by Whitney Able), Bird (played by Edwin Hodge), Jake (played by Luke Grimes) and Marlin (played by Melissa Price). The kids plans on swimming, drinking beer, smoking pot and of course the boys hope to seduce Mandy, but their party doesn't go exactly as planned as there is a serial killer on the loose on the ranch. Mandy's only hope of surviving the weekend is trusting the ranch hand, Garth (played Hell On Wheels' Anson Mount) with her life.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort Review





Wrong Turn 6:  Last Resort
Director: Valeri Milev
Starring: Aqueela Zoll, Anthony Ilott, Billy Ashworth, Talitha Luke-Eardley, Chris Jarvis, Luke Cousins,
Joe Gaminara, Rhys Coiro, Harry Belcher, Billy Shepperd, Asen Asenov, Danko Danknov, Sadie Katz, Rollo Skinner, Roxanne Pallett
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: October  21st, 2014
Retail: $22.98
ASIN: B00MWP73ME
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rating: Unrated
Buy Link: DVD, Blu-ray

Review:

Throughout the '80s there was at least one horror flick released theaters each week, including the Friday the 13th franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street series and countless other slasher films. Now of days the only horror films in theaters are the watered-down Exorcist rip-offs and the dreaded found-footage crap. Yes, there is the upcoming Friday the 13th reboot, but we don't need a 2nd remake in less than one decade! I would rather watch a half-way decent sequel than another remake. It seems the only watchable horror sequels are only available direct-to-DVD, which includes the Wrong Turn franchise.

Wrong Turn was a 2003 backwoods horror flick that spawned two direct-to-DVD sequels and three prequels. Yes, the quality of each film has gotten worse with each new installment, but they are still better than most of the garbage that is being released to theaters.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort picks up sometime after Bloodlines and centers on Danny (played Anthony Llott) inheriting a hotel in the deep backwoods of West Virginia. He grew up in an orphanage, so he never knew about his "real" family until arriving at the hotel with his girlfriend Toni (played by Aquella Zoll) and several friends. They are greeted by Danny's cousins Sally (played by Sadie Katz) and Jackson (played by Chris Jarvis), whom show a weird affection for each other and for Danny!

Danny (played Anthony Llott) & (played by Aquella Zoll)
After getting acquainted with his cousins, Danny plans on restoring the hotel to its original glory, but Toni suspects some sort of foul play is at hand here, especially when their friends start disappearing one by one. Danny quickly realizes he is from one of the three inbred cannibal families and it is his duty to keep the family line "pure." And of course Three Fingers, Saw Tooth and One Eye are related to him and start a cat & mouse game with Danny's friends. 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition - Oct. 17th - 23rd

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome Ghouls and Goblins
to the
Book Blogger Hop: Halloween Edition!
  
If you want schedule next week's thrilling question, click here to find the next prompt fright-fest. 
To submit a question, fill out this form.

How to participate in this week's creepy meme:


1. Post on your blog answering this haunt:

 You're going to a Halloween party and you're going to take a book along just in case you get bored. What book would you bring?

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in a curse).

 

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
 

Billy's Answer!


Since it is Halloween I'll have to with a horror theme novel, which happens to be one of my favorite books - The Shining by Stephen King.



Linky List:

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Review - Ash and the Army of Darkness



Ash and the Army of Darkness
by Steve Niles, Dennis Calero and Nacho Tenorio
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Pub. Date: October 21, 2014
ISBN: 978-1606905166
Pages: 192
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
While I consider myself to be a horror-buff, I never knew the Evil Dead films even existed until I caught the last half of Army of Darkness on the Scifi Channel (now known as Syfy) in the late '90s during my teenage years. Being a fan of Bruce Campbell ever since he starred in the short-lived series The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., I instantly took to liking to what little I saw of the movie. Luckily, the movie reaired the following weekend, so I could watch it.  I was able to find the VHS (Remember those?) of Army of Darkness at Best Buy, along with Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn. I later rented the original Evil Dead and eventually bought it on VHS, so, basically I saw the movies in reverse. And of course I saw last year's remake.

There have been several comic books based on the character Ash from the series over the years, but none has picked up directly where Army of Darkness left off - well, until Dynamite Entertainment released a brand new series last year called Ash and the Army Darkness. The eight issue series is now available in one volume.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

DVD Review - From Dusk Till Dawn: Season One





From Dusk Till Dawn: Season One
Starring: D.J. Cotrona Zane Holtz, Eiza Gonzalez, Jesse Garcia, Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo, Wilmer Valderrama, Robert Patrick, Don Johnson
Studio: Entertainment One
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Retail: $39.98
ASIN: B00KYL80SO
Running Time: 452 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Before George Clooney suited up as the Dark Knight in the godawful Batman & Robin and before he started winning Oscars, he played in the cult 1996 horror flick From Dusk Till Dawn. The film was directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino, who also co-stars. While receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics, the film barely made back it's budget while in theaters, tough it did do better in rentals. Three years later a direct-to-video sequel, From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money was released, but was criticized for the horrible plot. A year later a prequel, From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter, was released direct-to-video, though it was better than Texas Blood Money, the film put the final nail into the coffin for the franchise. That is until rumors of a fourth film surfaced on the internet in 2010, but the film seemed to be abandoned when From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series premiered on the El Rey Network earlier this year, a channel created by Robert Rodriguez.

Instead of picking up where the movies left off, the series is a complete reboot of the original movie with D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holtz taking over the roles of the deadly Gecko brothers, whom have just killed four Texas Rangers during a bank robbery. Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (played by Don Johnson) stops by Benny's World of Liquor, but he was unaware that the Gecko brothers are also there. After a long standoff, McGraw is killed and the Gecko brothers escape, but McGraw's apprentice, Freddie Gonzalez (played by Jesse Garcia ) vows to avenge his death.

With the law not too far behind them, Seth Gecko is worried about his brother, Richie, who sees a little unbalanced, especially when Richie claims a beautiful woman appears to him, telling him to kill. They have no other choice, but to kidnap the former pastor Jacob Fuller (played by Robert Patrick), his daughter Katie (played by Madison Davenport) and his adopted son Scott (played by Brandon Soo Hoo), whom are traveling in an RV to Mexico. This is the only way Seth and Richie can get across the border where they are to meet their partner in crime Cartel boss Don Carlos (played by Wilmer Valderrama) at the Titty Twister bar, but what is waiting for them is a group of hungry vampires.

4 Quick Fixes to Spruce Up Your Home's Exterior



The exterior of your home is the first impression neighbors, friends, family and anyone else has of your home. It can make your home look more welcoming to guests, and it can make your home look more appealing to potential buyers if you were looking to sell. Having a nice exterior of your home can greatly increase your home’s value, whether you’re looking to sell or not. And unlike certain interior areas of your home, such as kitchen and bathroom renovations, caring for and up keeping the exterior of your home is not difficult or expensive to do. Check out the following four quick fixes to spruce up your home’s exterior.

1. Wash your windows.

The exterior of your windows experience a lot, and cleaning them can help improve the exterior of your home. Give the outside (and inside) of your windows a thorough cleaning to remove any dirt and debris. If you have double hung windows, you can clean the exterior from the inside by flipping the window. If you don’t have double-hung windows, you’ll have to clean these from the outside. You can do this the old fashioned way with a ladder and window cleaner, or you can invest in a special product like Mr. Clean Window to make the project easier and less time consuming.

2. Wash or paint your exterior.

If the exterior siding of your home is looking dated, you don’t have to spend a fortune replacing it. Instead, you can give your home a quick fix by washing or painting the exterior. You can wash your siding the same way you would wash your windows, or you can use a power-washer to make it easier. (Just be sure to test it on a small section of siding first to ensure the pressure is not too hard to damage it.)

You also have the option of painting your siding, especially if you have wood or even vinyl siding. Be sure to use exterior paint, and spend a weekend making your home look like new.

3. Fix your driveway.

Having a like-new driveway can also improve your home’s exterior, and it’s not something that will cost a fortune to accomplish. If you have an asphalt driveway, repair the asphalt by either patching or completely recoating to cover cracks or problem areas. If you have concrete, you can also patch the problem areas to make your driveway look like new. These are easy weekend projects that you can do on your own, and they will greatly improve the look of your home.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

DVD Review - Paw Patrol: Winter Rescues


Paw Patrol: Winter Rescues
Voice Cast: Owen Mason, Devan Cohen, Kallan Holley, Gage Munroe, Stuart Ralston, Tristan Samuel, Alex Thorne, Katherine Forrester, Ron Pardo
Studio: Nickelodeon
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Retail: $14.99
ASIN: B00LN8786M
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rated: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available on DVD fro Nickelodeon is Paw Patrol: Winter Rescues, featuring seven exciting episodes. The single disc DVD can be watched in English, Spanish and French.

Paw Patrol is an a Canadian/American preschool animated program that debuted in the fall of 2013, airing on Nickelodeon in the United States and  TVOKids in Canada. The series has become popular with children and is currently in its second season.

The series centers on six puppies, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Skye, whom all spend their days rescuing animals and humans and saving the day from whatever bad thing that comes their way. They are lead by Ryder, a tech-savvy ten-year-old boy.

Episodes on the single-disc are: