Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Book 13 of 15 total. I listened to it to and from work.

Book 12 left us with Harry shot and drowning in the cold water, but his daughter would be safe - right? Well, his death has left Chicago open for kinds of bad. His friends could really use his help. He's been brought back as a ghost - his shade is back - and his mission is to find his killer. You will never guess who that turns out to be. Typically Dresden humour and chaos ensues. All in all, I say: READ IT if you have read the other 12. If not, why are you reading this weirdo.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

We all awake with Abrams new installment of Star Wars - VII. Ridley (Mr. Selfridge), Driver (Girls), Isaac (Ex Machina), Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave), Serkis (LOTR), and Gleeson (About Time) all join the cast of the original - the good movies - IV, V, and VI. The plot without giving anything away. Luke, the only Jedi, must be found because evil has risen it's head again. Fans have done a great job keeping so much a secret and I will do the same. All in all, I say: SEE IT. It makes you feel giddy like the first time you saw Star Wars. I saw it in a drive-in when I was about 4 or 5, so I was very giddy. I clapped when Han and Chewy showed up on screen!

Farewell, My Queen (aka Les adieux à la reine)

Yes, it's in French. It is from the point of view of the Queen's Reader and shows the audience the final days of King Louie and Marie Antoinette's reign. Kruger (The Bridge) and Seydoux (Spectre) star. All in all, I say: STREAM IT if you like historical stuff.

Christmas Land

Georgia native, Deloach (Awkward) stars as a marketer who inherits her grandmothers small town holiday park and tree farm. She wants her job and life in NY, so she sells. She sells to a liar who is going to rip it apart. With the help of a local lawyer (Macfarlane from Killjoys) and the towns people she buys it back and stays - happy Hallmark Christmas movie ending. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

A Christmas Melody

If it was just a typical Hallmark Christmas movie staring Chabert (Party of Five) and Elliot (Cedar Cove) then it would have been perfect. Problem - Carey (as in the singer) directs and acts in this. She's so bad - they didn't let her mess up the Hallmark formula though. All in all, I say: SEE IT - so cute and romantic.

This is the End

Celebrities - playing themselves - are trapped at James Franco's house during the End of Days. The religion only comes in at the very end - until them it's ok if you like that crew. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - I just watched it because I didn't want to judge it harshly without seeing it.

Chocolove

Organic dark chocolate with no dairy and a poem on the inside of the wrapper. I have only had the raspberry flavor which is amazing. All in all, I say: EAT IT

Green & Black's

Organic, non-dairy dark chocolate bars. I have only had the mint flavor which is addictive and to die for. This chocolate is amazing. All in all, I say: EAT IT

Extraction

I thought with Willis (Die Hard), Lutz (Expendables), and Carano (Deadpool) there would be a lot of action and not much of a plot. There was kind of a plot - that got a little convoluted toward the middle. There was action with Lutz, but Carano didn't get to do as much as she usually does. It could have been better with better directing and editing. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Childhood's End

Based on an Arthur C Clarke novel I never read. Aliens that look like devils come to Earth and give longer healtier lives to humans for decades. The children are evolved and are taken off the planet along with a Noah's Ark of animals. Then the Earth is destroyed because it has served its purpose - the purpose of the OneMind or OverMind something like that. It's more religious than science fiction. I thought it had potential, but I was frustrated with the religious ending and overtones. All in all, I say: SKIP IT - it played for 3 nights in a row on SyFy.

The Expanse

Jane (Hung) plays a cop on a colony in an asteriod belt that provides energy for Earth and Mars. Mars is run by a military group. Earth and it's moon - Luna - are run by the UN. The people that live in the belt are called Belters and they are caught in the middle. There is about to be a war. Jane is hunting down a missing heiress. Strait (Sleeping With the Fishes) is leading a group of ice miners who get caught by a Mars ship after the rest of the crew is killed in an ambush. There is a lot going on - twists and turns - they are all connected somehow. It's based on a series of books I haven't read - the cast and the plot and the special effects with only 2 shows have me hooked. I can't wait to see what happens next. Aghdashloo (Last Knights) and Karkanis (Murdoch Mysteries) also star. All in all I say: SEE IT on SyFy.

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Lasting for about eight seasons and some movies - this was a one hour family drama. It revolves around a female Boston doctor who moves to Colorado Springs - the frontier - to start a practice. She ends up adopting three kids, marrying a widower, and having a baby. The small town goes through a lot - there is a lesson to be learned in every episode. It's a decent way to spend an hour compared to some tv today. All in all, I say: STREAM IT on Amazon Prime

Transporter Refueled

Not sure why it needed to be refueled - especially without Statham.

Skrein (Deadpool) plays Frank - he can fight but it's not the same athletic and stylish way that Statham does. The lines were bad, the acting was bad, and the plot was quite ridiculous. Stevenson (Rome) plays Frank's dad and I had hope when I saw him, but he didn't bring anything or they didn't let him bring anything. It was blah! All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Top Five

Chris Rock writes, directs, acts, and does stand up in this film. He plays an alcoholic comedian who is about to get married to a woman he doesn't love. He lets a journalist hang out with him for a day while he's in NY for his bachelor party. They make a connection and he finds things out about himself. Dawson (Daredevil) plays the journalist. All in all, I say: SEE IT - the ending is a little hard to believe for just one day, but it was well edited and written.

Tis the Season for Love

Lancaster (Chuck) is a small town girl who went to NY to become an actress, but hasn't done much. She decides to go back home for the holidays while she waits to hear about the role of a lifetime. Her ex is married, her mom is dating, and an old friend may be the love of her life. She has to decide between small town and love or big city role. Happy ending! All in all, I say: SEE IT. Love me some Hallmark holiday.

6 Month Rule

Weaver (Weather Girl) writes, directs, and acts in this film about a womanizer who finally meets his match. He falls in love - and falls hard for an artist (Morales from Going the Distance) who is already seeing someone (Adams from Suits). It has the realistic ending it should. All in all, I say: SEE IT

A Gift Wrapped Christmas

Hagner (As the World Turns) stars in this Lifetime Christmas movie. She is a personal shopper who after meeting a new client finds herself in love with him and his son. The plot is what you expect - she is the only one who can act. She makes the movie. A happy ending of course. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Flight Before Christmas

Bialik (Big Bang Theory) has her boyfriend break up with her the day she is supposed to move in with him - which means she has no place to live. She decides to get the last flight out of LA to head back east for the holidays. There is a snow storm which puts her in the company of a married couple and McPartlin (Chuck). He is also struggling with a relationship that seems to be one sided and long distance. The plot was decent, the writing wasn't bad, the editing is better than most other Hallmark movies - one big problem - ZERO chemistry. They didn't have any - it wasn't believable. All in all, I say: SEE IT because I love Hallmark holiday movies.

12 Gifts for Christmas

It was a cute Hallmark holiday romance movie. They were both sweet with sparkling smiles. The plot wasn't bad, the editing was ok, and the acting was decent. It was pretty good. An artist decides to earn some money by becoming a personal shopper for the holidays and meets a man. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Lucky In Love

A girl gets all her April Fool's Pranks to come true - it turns out what she thought she wanted she really didn't. The acting is pretty bad and the chemistry between all the actors is missing. It was almost painful to watch. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Crown for Christmas

McKellar (The Wonder Years) is raising her 2 younger siblings and trying to make ends meet. She is working as a maid at a hotel when she gets fired. The butler of one of the wealth customers of the hotel hires her to be a nanny for a month or two. Turns out the nanny job is for a princess in another country, and yes it's Hallmark, so the King falls in love with her and they live happily ever after. Not bad on the editing or writing - acting is decent. All in all, I say: SEE IT - maybe mostly because Penry-Jones (MI-5) in the King - I love me some British hunk.

I'm Not Ready for Christmas

As with most Hallmark holiday movies the editing isn't great - the screenwriting isn't great - and the acting is only ok. But I am a sucker for a happy romantic ending. Witt's (House of Lies) niece is tired of her aunt lying so she asks Santa to make it so her aunt can''t lie. Her aunt discovers that lying isn't the best policy.  Brannagh (Army Wives) also stars. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?

A documentary filmmaker delves into the Tim Burton - Nicholas Cage Superman movie that never happened. It was interesting to here what all the designers, producers, director, and writers thought about the entire process. It's not too long and it's not too bad. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you like documentaries and you are a bit of a fan of DC or Burton.

Life of Crime

Elmore Leonard book made into a movie. Aniston (Mother's Day), Fisher (Grimsby), Forte (Last Man on Earth), Robbins (The Brink), and Hawkes (Everest) all star. It involves an unhappy marriage, a gold digger, and some kidnappers with hearts of gold. All in all, I say: RENT IT - it is Leonard after all, but it never made it to the big screen in ATL.

Brooklyn

This movie had a watching Turner Classics or American Movie Classics feel to it. It was sweet. An average girl (Ronan from Hanna) in Ireland can't figure out what she really wants from life. She's isn't in school - cost - so she doesn't know about a real full time job. Her part time job isn't all that. She doesn't have a local boy of interest and no one interested in her. People don't really need her. Her older sister gets her to America with a job, new friends, and she meets a nice young man who is settled and knows what he wants. Through a donation with the help of a priest (Broadbent from Bridget Jones' Baby) she goes to school and figures out something she would like to do. A tragedy brings her back to Ireland and she has to decide what will make her happy. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

The Kitchen

IMDb writes, "Jennifer's thirtieth birthday party is supposed to be a special day. But what starts out as a day of celebration quickly spirals into a most ill-fated day Jennifer wishes she could forget, in this ensemble comedy set entirely in a kitchen."

Prepon (Orange is the New Black) seems like she's trying to hard in this. The rest of the caste isn't that interesting. Elllington (Quantico) is the only one I liked which is crazy because he's the one I don't like on Quantico. It's based on a play and it should stay a play. There just wasn't enough substance to be a movie. All in all, I say: SKIP IT