It’s in the wee hours past midnight, and here I am writing a
review for When a Stranger Calls (R; 97 minutes), the 1979 cult-classic
horror flick about a young babysitter, Jill (played by Carol Kane),
being tormented by a series of disgusting phone calls from a “stranger”
who's calling from upstairs. If you haven’t already seen the
film, then you’ve probably at least heard about the terrifying opening
minutes. This isn’t my first viewing, as I’ve seen the movie multiple
times over the years. Mill Creek Entertainment had released the movie on
Blu-ray (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart) earlier this year with a retro VHS-style
slipcover. I've gotten a little behind on reviews for this blog, so I
thought it was time I started to go through the stack of titles Mill
Creek Entertainment has sent me over the last three months, starting
with When a Stranger Calls.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer! |
Good Morning, Everyone!
It doesn’t feel like Mother’s Day! The nursing homes are all still
locked down, so I cannot visit my 78-year-old grandmother. I’m not allowed to drop off a gift, but I may send a gift in the
mail. Yeah, I am stumped on this one. What’s the difference?
Even
in an insignificant Missouri town, the stores are a madhouse with everyone,
young and old, shopping without wearing a face mask and ignoring the
six-foot rule.
Saturday, May 9, 2020
While cleaning up the downloads folder on my laptop, I came across The
Unlucky Ones by Stacey Marie Brown (Audible, Kindle, Paperback).
Caffeinated Reviewer sent me the audiobook (along with another title)
in August 2019. I reviewed the other audiobook fairly quickly,
and later; I listened to the first two hours of The Unlucky Ones.
Forgetfulness? Procrastination? Whatever the reason might be, I spent
the last few days listening to the 520-minute story.
Friday, May 8, 2020
Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!
If you want to schedule next week's post in advance, click here for the future prompts. To submit a prompt, please fill out this form.
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The Book Blogger Hop now has its own Facebook Group! Please join the group to get all the newest Book Blogger Hop updates and communicate with other book bloggers.
What To Do
1. Post an answer for the prompt.
What platform do you use for your blog?
This week's prompt submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews.
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3. Please visit other blogs on the list and leave a comment on their BBH post.
3. Please visit other blogs on the list and leave a comment on their BBH post.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Late last night, I watched the 2007 movie The Nines (R; 100 minutes), starring Ryan Reynolds, a movie I had never heard of before Mill Creek Entertainment released it on Blu-ray (Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart). There are no special features or bonus extras.
Written and directed by John August, The Nines is split into three different chapters (The Prisoner, Reality Television, and Knowing) with Ryan Reynolds playing an unique character in each short.
The Prisoner centers on Gary (played by Reynolds), a famous actor who's under house arrest in another person's house after burning down his own home. The owner of the house is a television writer, Gavin (also played by Reynolds in "Reality Television"). His only connection to the outside world is through his public relations agent, Margaret (played by Melissa McCarthy) and his married neighbor, Sarah (played by Hope Davis). After being in isolation for a few days, Gary believes he's being haunted by "the nines."
Reality Television centers on a television writer, Gavin, who's trying to get his pilot, Knowing, produced. His series would star Melissa McCarthy as a mother who gets lost with her daughter. Sadly, Gavin's original vision for Knowing will never come to function because of a meddling executive producer, Susan (played by Davis).
Knowing centers on a video game designer Gabriel (played by Reynolds), his wife, Mary (played by McCarthy), and their daughter, Noelle (played by Elle Fanning), whose vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Leaving them behind, he goes in search of help and runs across Sierra (played by Davis), who helps him connect the dots left behind from the previous stories.
Final Thoughts
I'm a big Ryan Reynolds fan, so I was looking forward to watching The Nines, but this movie was so confusing. It begins decent, but it quickly falls apart by the second chapter. The acting from the entire cast is excellent. The main issue I have with the film is with the writing, as the story doesn't make a bit of sense.
What's the point of the movie? Please, somebody, explain the ending to me.
For those of you who need to know, the picture and sound quality on the Blu-ray is good.
Overall, The Nines is a waste of time to watch. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer! |
Good Morning, Everyone!
There's nothing more shocking than getting a jolt of electricity shot through your body in the middle of the night from an electric blanket! Yep, that's exactly what happened to me on Tuesday night. The odd thing is, I turned the blanket off. Don't worry, I'm feeling just fine. Let's just say, I couldn't go back to sleep that night for obvious reasons. I have unplugged the blanket from the outlet.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
I was a few months shy of being an 11-year-old during the summer of 1992 when I first ventured into the haunted world of Goosebumps by R.L. Stine after stumbling upon Welcome to Dead House and Stay Out of the Basement at a Walmart. I had no clue how popular the series would become until I saw other middle graders reading the books. Then it became a phenomenon when the low-budget anthology series debuted on Fox Kids in 1995. The love for all things Goosebumps disappeared by the start of the new millennium. Scholastic relaunched the Goosebumps franchise in 2008 with R.L. Stine returning to write the spinoffs Horrorland, Most Wanted, and SlappyWorld.
Labels:
books,
fiction,
Goosebumps,
horror,
middle grade,
R.L. Stine