Monthly Archives: June 2023

Wednesday Briefs: June 28, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Newberg: A Small Town Anthology – Prologue by J Ray Lamb

I decided to chronicle the story of the people who lived in Newberg: the public lives lived and the private lies hidden. Newberg is just like every other amalgamation of people. It has gossip, scandal, and intrigue. I was a resident of Newberg for twenty years – a native son born to outsiders. I would grow up, have my morals shaped and broken, and learn valuable lessons of the duplicity of human existence. When I left, I swore I would never return. Never is a powerful word that often doesn’t mean what it says on the tin. Now, some five decades…

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Book Review: Annabel by Kathleen Winter

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Annabel       

Author:  Kathleen Winter

Publisher: Black Cat Press

American release date:  January 4, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Coming of Age Fiction/480 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

In March of 1968, Treadway and Jacinta Blake welcome a child to their home in rural Labrador. But this child is different from other children, having been born with both male and female genitals. Jacinta’s friend Thomasina warns her to watch out for what her husband might do with the child. She was right to worry. Having seen what there is to see, while Jacinta puzzles out what do to, Treadway decides  for them. He names the child Wayne, and he has doctors sew up the female part of him, although he never forgets it is there.

Treadway is a trapper, and he spends a great deal of the year out in the wilderness. Nonetheless, he is a good husband and father, better than a number of the other men where they live. Even so, he refuses to deal with the truth about Wayne, so Wayne grows up unaware of his dual nature, and life goes on. Thomasina watches over Wayne carefully, and she is the one to recognize that something is wrong when Wayne reaches puberty, and a certain part of his body reacts the way girls’ bodies have reacted from time immemorial. She does what she knows needs to be done, acting in his best interest as his teacher. Nonetheless she has broken the rules and must pay the price.

Wayne doesn’t truly know what the many pills he has to take are for, or how much they cost his parents. He doesn’t have any friends to speak of until he meets Wally Michelin, and they become fast friends. Wally’s real name is Wallis, named for the woman for whom a king abdicated his throne. They spend a lot of time together, Treadway’s chagrin,  and one day Wayne asks his dad about building a bridge. Treadway is enthusiastic, having done so as a boy, but he and Wayne have different ideas of what a bridge should be. Wally has dreams too, of singing and music, and a particular vocal piece by Faure. But not all dreams work out.

Annabel is an amazing debut novel from Kathleen Winter, about a child born intersex (what was once called hermaphrodite, said to be inspired by the story of Hermaphroditus, the child of Hermes and Aphrodite). It is beautifully written and engaging, as we fellow the life of Wayne Blake, wondering if he will ever discover his true nature and what he will make of it. The characters are beautifully written and engaging, while the prose is simply beautiful. There is a great depth to the story, as Wayne navigates a world in which he is different from the people that he sees, but he does the best he can. One can’t even fault his father, knowing he means well. There are definitely some heart-breaking moments here. I think what everyone should take away from this book is that people are people, and not to be defined by their body parts. A wonderful read, can’t say enough good things about it. I highly recommend this book.

Saturday is Horror Day #119 – Ichi the Killer, Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Ichi the Killer

Kakihara (Tadanobu Asano) is a yakuza enforcer who definitely stands out in a crowd because of his blond hair, his strange facial markings, and the wires around his mouth. When his boss goes missing, Kakihara vows to find him no matter what, and no matter who tells him to leave the matter alone. Kakihara is a sadomasochist who enjoys receiving pain as much as he likes inflicting it.

In the course of his search, he discovers a killer named Ichi (Nao Omori), a young sensitive man who has

been trained to destroy the bullies of the world, having witnessed a very traumatic scene in his youth. He leaves a wake of death and destruction wherever he goes, and Kakihara can’t help but be impressed. Perhaps this is someone who can offer pain beyond his wildest dreams.

Let me start by saying this is a very violent film, so violent it has been banned in various countries, not such which ones or if that ban still exists today. This is just what I read. Yes, very violent and visceral, but very well done also.  I am not familiar with the director, Takashi Miike, but I understand he is very respected in the industry. This story was taken from a manga, again one I am not familiar with.

There are some very compelling characters and outstanding performances here. If you are in any way squeamish, I would not recommend it. That being said, there are some interesting twists if you can stick with it. It is a little long, over two hours, but worth the watch. Kakihara and Ichi are both compelling characters. I give this film 4 Stars.

Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife

To say that Ward (Donald Faison) is henpecked by his wife Stacy (Dagmara Dominczyk) would be an understatement. His friends have all noticed it and hate it. Not that they don’t have issues of their own. David (Patrick Wilson) is a temporarily unemployed actor who is separated from his wife Amanda (Marika Dominczyk). Ronnie (James Carpinello) is an unmarried womanizer. Tom Bradford (Scott Foley) works with Ward as a reporter, and is married to Gina (Amy Acker), but he makes a date with a woman he interviews. Ward and Stacy hold a party for son Ramon’s christening, but of course, Ward ruins it (at least in her eyes) and she doesn’t stop ranting. Ward’s friends watch the spectacle from across the room with great dismay. We need to kill Ward’s wife is the general consensus.

An unfortunate circumstance arises in which Scott actually does kill her. Now how are they going to get rid of the body? Friends (and wives) have to stick together, right? There is a slight complication, though. Ward’s neighbor Bruce (Greg Grunberg) is a cop. And he wants to hang with the guys and play golf. Think they can distract him from figuring out what happened as they dispose of the body and then report Ward’s wife missing?

This is definitely a dark movie with elements of comedy. Which doesn’t make it a comedy, per se. Nobody is perfect in this film, not the guys and certainly not Ward’s wife. But I also think that maybe she is suffering from PPD, since Ward says she was fine until she became pregnant. This is like the ultimate bro movie – what would you do for your friend? Even Ward isn’t fazed by his wife’s death once he realizes he’s gained the world. Interesting film. I’ll give it 3.5 Stars.

Book Review: Assassination Classroom, Vol 10 by Yusei Matsui

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Assassination Classroom, Vol 10       

Author: Yusei Matsui

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date:  June 7, 2016

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Action Adventure Manga/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

A nationwide surplus of eggs leads to a brilliant idea by Kayano! Rather than throw the eggs away, she will buy them and make a giant flan, which is a weakness of Koro Sensei. She will rig a bomb to be hidden at the bottom with hidden anti-sensei bbs. She enlists the aid of the others and they all brainstorm their way through the problems of creating such a large eggy dish. Koro Sensei will be pleased with the custardy offering and will never suspect Kayano, as she has always taken a back seat in assassination attempts. But now is her time to shine!

Karasuma plans to teach Class 3E advanced assassination techniques this semester, including explosives and parkour, or free running. Koro Sensei notices the parkour training and has an idea for a game – Cops and Robbers. They can have a 3D game of tag using the entire mountain! Per his idea, he and Karasuma will plays the cops to the students’ robbers. If they can’t catch all of the robbers within the hour, the students win. As a handicap, Koro Sensei will play the part of the jailer and stay in one position on the field. Hewon’t make his own move until the last minute. Sounds like a good game! But will Koro Sensei prove to be his own worst enemy?

Someone is stealing lingerie in Kunugigaoka City, and a description of the thief sounds suspiciously like Koro Sensei! His students are disappointed in him and he is mortified. The only way to prove his innocence is to capture the actual thief!

Itona and Shiro have returned, and Shiro is determined to use Itona to assassinate Koro Sensei – even at the price of his own life! Shiro abandons his student and now time is not on their side as they have to remove Itona’s tentacles, or face the consequences!

Itona has come up with a great idea for how to kill Koro Sensei – a high tech little tank. His ex-mentor is warned not to involve the students in his assassination attempts any more, and he reveals that there is a worse monster than Itona in that class.

The students are growing and developing at such a rate! And so creative! Who would have thought of using flan as a weapon? I’m glad we’re rid of Shiro, at least for the foreseeable future, and that Itona has calmed down a great deal, to more tolerable levels.  Looking forward to the next volume!

Book Review: The Elusive Samurai, Vol 4 by Yusei Matsui

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The Elusive Samurai, Vol 4         

Author: Yusei Matsui

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: January 3, 2023

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Fantasy Manga/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Kiyohara is now the Kokushi of Shinano, and as such does not feel obligated to follow the rules established by the previous administration, including the taxation of the second crop. The citizens are less than pleased. In northern Shinano, Hoshina Yasaburo raises an army to rebel against this oppression, but Suwa feels they have no chance of victory. He sends Tokiyuki and his elusive warriors to convince Hoshina to abandon his plan and to help him and his men to escape. To be on the safe side, however, Suwa will not permit the girls to go, as there may be fighting.

When Tokiyuki and the others catch up to Hoshina and his men, they realize how deeply committed they are to dying for what they believe in. He finds a sympathetic ear in Shinomiya and strategizes with him about an escape route. But can he convince the stubborn man that this is the way to go? Will he have to battle him to get him to listen?

One thing Tokiyuki really misses about home is the fresh fish he was used to, especially sashimi. But where they are located, fish spoil long before they can arrive. So it’s up to the Elusive Warriors to find a way for their Lord to have his fish and make him happy.

Takauji and his brother Tadayoshi have brought an element of youth to Kamakura, being younger than the previous rulers, the HoJo, and they are working at restoring the city and maintaining order. Sadamune is determined to do his part for his new boss by rooting out any remaining Hojo.  He has no proof, but he is very suspicious of one young fellow (Tokiyuki in disguise) and decides to put him to the test. He requests a gift from Suwa, and asks that Chojomaru-dono/Tokiyuki bring it and then take back the return gift. To refuse this request would only make him more suspicious. Sadamune is still miffed at being bested by the young boy the previous year and is determined to look closely at him. Can this end well for Tokiyuki?

I really enjoy reading Yusei Matsui’s interpretation of historical events and people. His sense of humor is just as sharp as it was in Assassination Classroom.  I also like the notes at the end about life in feudal Japan. I hope Tokiyuki bests Sadamune. That man has something wrong with him lol.  Can’t wait for the next volume!

Wednesday Briefs: June 21, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #78 (16.2) by Julie Lynn Hayes

Nothing was said at first, we simply sipped our sweet tea and stared out into the backyard, where the laundry floated gently on the breeze. Benny raced about the yard like a madman. He’d spotted a rabbit and, despite the fact the little fella offered him no harm, insisted on chasing it. But the bunny managed to keep well out of Benny’s grasp, to our amusement. I wasn’t worried that our boy might actually catch and harm the rabbit. I think the fun lay in the sheer physicality of the chase.

“I always wanted to have a dog,” Joey broke the silence. That surprised me. I just couldn’t imagine him being interested in another living creature that wasn’t him. Of course, he’d obviously been married, but I’d never seen him

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Saturday is Horror Day #118 – Amusement

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Amusement

Shelby’s (Laura Breckenridge) boyfriend Rob (Tad Hilgenbrink) is fascinated with the concept of being part of a convoy, so when the opportunity presents itself while they are on a road trip, he goes for it, despite having no idea who the other people are. Shelby sleeps intermittently while Tad drives but wakes enough to see a girl’s face at the back of the semi they are following. Wait a minute, didn’t he say he’s alone? Tad tells her not to worry, but then a moment later, a girl’s body is flung onto their windshield. Tad tries to get the trucker’s plates as he tears off into the night, but worse is in store for them when Shelby is kidnapped.

Tabitha (Katheryn Winnick) agrees to watch her two young cousins, but oddly enough, when she arrives, the babysitter she expected to see is nowhere to be found. The boys assure her that the girl left, but they seem far too amused by the situation. Tabitha shrugs it off, but when she goes to the guest room where she’ll be staying, she finds the clown motif a bit much. Especially the life-sized one in the rocking chair. When her aunt calls, she tells her how creepy it is, but her aunt is confused. She doesn’t have a clown like that. Kidnap Victim #2.

Lisa (Jessica Lucas) doesn’t believe her best friend Cat (Fernanda Dorogi) just went to a hotel with a random dude, that isn’t like her. But when Lisa approaches the decrepit-looking place, she is informed that all the beds are taken. Concerned, she sends her boyfriend Dan (Reid Scott) to find out what’s going on, using his authority with the health department. Hours later, he hasn’t returned, so Lisa sneaks into the hotel herself.

*****SPOILERS*******  I am going to spoil this because this movie is so bad, I’m going to save you the trouble of watching it. The three young women are all childhood friends who haven’t seen each other in years. The guy behind all this mayhem and murder is another child they knew, one with a sick and twisted sense of humor that they never found funny. He calls himself The Laugh (Keir O’Donnell). He kidnaps the first two girls and sets them up in a pseudo diorama resembling one he did as a kid that they thought was sick (spoiler alert – it was).

The only people I recognize in this film are Katheryn Winnick, who played Lagertha in Vikings, and the psychiatrist played by Rena Owen, who was Helen in Siren. This movie looked like it was written by a child and was left over from a fever-riddled dream, only half remembered, and making no sense. It is horrible. Not scary, not creepy, just bad. The best thing about it was that it was only an hour and a half long. Even Katheryn Winnick can’t save horrible. I’m going to give this film 1 Star, just for her, but I recommend you avoid it entirely.

Wednesday Briefs: June 14, 2023

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Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Bad Karma and the Family Plan #77 (16.1) by Julie Lynn Hayes

Joey managed to give us a look that was both sullen and apologetic, but he didn’t say anything, simply stood there.

“Why are you spying on us?” Ethan demanded. “What are you up to?”

“I wasn’t spying on you,” Joey insisted, but I wasn’t very convinced, and I was pretty sure Ethan wasn’t buying his act either.

Ethan folded his arms across his chest,

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Book Review: Zombie-Loan, Vol 2 by Peach-Pit

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Zombie-Loan, Vol 2     

Author: Peach-Pit

Publisher: Yen Press

American release date:  February 13, 2008

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Fantasy Manga/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Sister is missing, but life goes on, and even changes a little when Michiru says she won’t be getting the girls’ lunches anymore. Chika and Shito applaud her for standing up for herself, even if Chika still calls her gofer. But when he catches her eating bread crusts for lunch, because she can get them for free, he is appalled, because he believes that women need to eat food with fat so they can bear healthy babies. Unfortunately, being short of money for food, Michiru also has no place to live. Shito and Chika have an idea and return to Z-Loan where they tell her to go with a mysterious little girl, who will help her get a place to stay. She turns out to be Shimotsuki Kuze, chancellor of Holy Kurou Campus. Michiru ends up in the school’s old monastery, which has been turned into students dorms. But students must meet two criteria in order to stay there. First, the student must have a living arrangement problem as the result of a family issue.

Before Michiru can learn the second condition, a cheerful girl named Koyomi arrives, and the Chancellor tells her to show Michiru around and then leaves herself without offering an explanation. The condition of the dorms is less than ideal, but Michiru is thrilled to have her own room, with a window, even though it opens onto the cemetery. Shito and Chika and Koyomi throw her a small welcome party, which is when Michiru learns of her debt to the two boys. The only way to pay this debt is to work with them. After the party, Michiru also learns of Koyomi’s secret. The boys are delighted to learn that they can use Michiru to bring out that secret, naturally to benefit them.

Chika takes Michiru to his second job at a convenience store and makes her help him with his work. There he runs into an old acquaintance, Shiba, and the two boys instantly bond. Michiru thinks she’s never seen Chika so happy. However the situation turns dire when the three find themselves faced with a large number of rats!  Shiba’s solution to the problem surprises both Chika and Michiru. Afterward, when Shinba follows them to Z-Loan, things get tricky. Everyone is working together to solve a recent murder, and Shiba proves surprisingly helpful. So Ferryman offers him a job, to Shito’s chagrin. Believing Shito to be jealous of Chika’s relationship with Shiba, Michiru is set straight by Shito, who explains how things really work with him and Chika and why they appear to be so close.

Lots of secrets going on – some revealed, some not. We meet some new characters, including the personable Shiba, whom I suspect will be around for a while. Is he as nice as he appears to be, or does he contain a secret self? Only time will tell. The revelation regarding Chika and Shito is not totally surprising, as we saw evidence in the first volume, it’s simply been corroborated now. I like the artwork as well as the story and look forward to reading more.

Saturday is Horror Day #117 – Rigor Mortis, Otis

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 Rigor Mortis


A washed-up actor at the end of his rope moves into a dilapidated tenement building. Feeling he has nothing to live for, he attempts to take his life, but a neighbor intervenes. A woman who cannot deal with the death of her husband discovers a way to bring him back to her, thanks to a practitioner of the dark arts. But he warns her to never remove his mask. A child seeks the attention of his neglectful mother. Twin girls seek revenge for what happened to them in life. 

 

Living here will not be easy…

This beautifully filmed and well-acted movie will give you the chills. Chock full of spirits, who run the 


gambit of Chinese mythology, this is a must-see for those who love horror. Maybe even more than once, to catch everything.

Pay close attention to the special effects and the sound track, which are crucial to the setting of each scene.  I highly recommend this and give it 4.5 Stars.

 

Otis


A classic high school story – boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy asks girl to be his date at the prom…except this is no boy, this is an obsessed 40 year old serial abductor/killer by the name of Otis (Bostin Christopher) who keeps kidnapping pretty girls. He chains them up in his specially equipped torture chamber, forces them to go by the name of Kim, and then wants them to relive with him a time of his life that never existed.

The Lawsons are a somewhat typical dysfunctional family, led by parents Will (Daniel Stern) and Kate 


(Illeana Douglas). Riley (Ashley Johnson) is the golden girl who can do no wrong while son Reed (Jared Kusnitz) is the fuck-up who can’t be bothered to do anything he should. He and a friend get caught making a video of Riley in her underwear in the privacy of her bedroom, and the parents are incensed. However, their video attracts Otis’ attention, and he begins to peep on her himself. Luckily, the parents aid in his plans by ordering pizza from the pizza parlor where he works as a delivery driver. The game is on!

When Riley comes outside to pay him for the pizza, he kidnaps her and introduces her to his secret room. Meanwhile, the FBI have been called in and the investigation is being led by an obnoxious agent, Ralph Hotchkiss (Jere Burns), who is more hindrance than help, and doesn’t let a little matter of truth get in his way.

 

The savvy Riley knows the only way to survive is to “play along” with Otis, answer to the name of Kim, and pretend they are on a date. Unbeknownst to her, Otis has a brother, Elmo (Kevin Pollak), who is thoroughly disgusted with the way Otis lives and who is unaware of his brother’s extracurricular activities. When Otis tries to speak about Kim, Elmo warns him to never speak his wife’s name again…ever.

 

 

Riley manages to escape, and even remembers the address where she is held. But when she tells her mother, Kate tells her to tell no one else, especially Hotchkiss. She and Will and Reed have plans for Mr. Otis….

Otis is a dark horror/comedy, but mostly a horror film, which will keep you wondering from beginning to end how everything will plan out. You’ll remember Daniel Stern from the Home Alone films, where he was one of the bad guys terrorizing Macaulay Culkin. This film feels like a bit of a twist in that he is defending something/someone, not the other way around. Jere Burns is wonderfully obnoxious as the FBI agent you can’t wait to hate, and I also loved the stoner son who stood up when it counted. Hooray for family solidarity!

 

Remember this is ultimately a horror movie, and does get graphic. There is an alternate ending which is quite different than the original. All in all, a good watch. I give this film 4 Stars.