Tag Archives: Julie Lynn Hayes

Saturday is Horror Day #104 – Green Room

Leave a reply

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Green Room

Punk rock band The Ain’t Rights consists of four friends – Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat), Reece (Joe Cole), and Tiger (Callum Turner). The band is touring the Pacific Northwest, but to say they’re not getting good gigs would be an understatement. They’re kind of forced to take what they can get. Which is how they end up in a bar in the middle of nowhere, filled with all sorts of creepy neo-Nazi sorts. What the heck, it’s just one night, and it’s more money than they’ve been getting lately, so why not?

Their set goes about as well as expected… more or less. The friends just want to get their money and move

on to the next gig. But things don’t quite go as planned, when they become witness to something they weren’t supposed to see. And now they are being held in the Green Room, while it’s decided what will happen to them. Can this possibly end well?

This film is really gritty and very visceral. Imagine being at the mercy of young violent skinheads, not knowing if they intend to kill you for what you accidentally saw, or even just for their own pleasure. It’s hard not to sympathize with the members of The Ain’t Rights, and there is nothing even remotely sympathetic about the people who hold them hostage. Not even their leader, Darcy, played by the inimitable Patrick Stewart. This film does not hold back, be warned of that. Explicit and gory, it’s not for the faint at heart. Green Room explores the seamier side of human nature. It’s scary to think that people such as this exist, but I’m sure they do. I’ll give this film 4 Stars.

Book Review: Skip Beat! Vol 16 by Yoshiki Nakamura

Leave a reply

Skip Beat! Vol 16       

Author: Yoshiki Nakamura

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date:  January 6, 2009

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/shojo manga/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Following her unfortunate encounter with Reino, Kyoko is able to find safety, thanks to Ren’s agent, with Ren. But who could imagine that Sho would end up knocking on the door, looking for her? Seriously? But oh dear, Kyoko wanted to explain the circumstances of how she was rescued and bring up Sho’s name herself. Now the cat is out of the bag and she is sure Ren is furious with her, smiling his “gentlemanly” smile. This is just getting worse and worse!

Meanwhile, Reino is in a snit because of what happened, and because it involved Sho. My goodness, this web is becoming more and more tangled! The next day, Ren takes a walk through the woods to clear his mind. Kyoko wanders off herself, despite what happened the day before, because she is…well, she’s Kyoko and her mind tends to drift a lot. She remembers how things used to be when she was younger, but she knows she won’t be able to come to a certain area and find Corn there. To her amazement, though, she manages to discover Ren, on his walk. (Funny, innit? Will she ever make the connection?)

While Kyoko is convinced Ren is furious with her, he is doing his best not to do something that will probably label him as a pervert, holding back his feelings for her. Sho is tired of Reino and his group stealing his songs, so he lays a trap for them, and to discover who is selling him out. And then Ren and Kyoko have a tender moment.

I love how Mr. Yashiro tries to play matchmaker to these two, but they are both so stubborn and naïve that they never seem to catch on. I think he’s being too subtle! They need an awakening. Of course, Ren needs to come clean to Kyoko.  When Kyoko finds out he is Corn… well, that won’t be pretty. It’s amusing that now he can’t have her, Sho wants Kyoko back. And Reino is after her too!

Another great volume, looking forward to more!

Wednesday Briefs: March 8, 2023

Leave a reply

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.

Broken Path, Starless Tail: Chapter Two by Cia Nordwell
 

Something sharp poked his chest, and he jolted awake. His breath caught, what little he could with the weight on his chest and the daggers at his throat. Nothing prepared him for this, and he should have known better.  

“I swear I locked that door.” Parallax was Colby’s cat. Or the family’s cat. Or a cat that lived in the woods that bordered their side of town, and he somehow had free reign on their house and demanded food the moment the horizon began to light and the stars began to fade before he scampered off to wherever he hid
 
 

Continue reading →

Film Review: Jab We Met

Leave a reply

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Jab We Met

Aditya Kashyap (Shahid Kapoor) is at the end of his rope. His father’s death has left him in charge of his very successful business, but there is the matter of his mother, who was also a part of the business but left the family to run off with another man. Feeling stressed, Aditya simply runs and finds himself on a train going who knows where. But his life is about to change when he encounters a very talkative young woman named Geet (Kareena Kapoor), who first chases him out of her seat on the train and then won’t stop talking.

When the train stops, Aditya gets off. Geet notices him walking along the platform as the train begins to pull away. Frantic, she calls him but he does not respond, so she jumps off the train to get him back on. Unfortunately, her Good Samaritan intentions cause her to miss the train herself, to her dismay. She berates him for what she sees as his fault, and tells him he has to make sure she gets home. She has a fiancè, even if her family doesn’t approve. Well, they don’t even really know yet. But she knows they won’t approve, so he has to take her there, no mater what he says.

And so their journey begins….

Jab We Met is a fabulous Bollywood rom-com that I watched for the second time, and I still cried, even though I knew what would happen. It is funny and romantic (as a good rom-com should be!), but throw in some great music and dancing, and you have a very wonderful film. The main characters have wonderful chemistry, and watching the evolution of their relationship from complete strangers to two people in love is wonderful. Bollywood musicals are so upbeat, I love them! Geet’s family are wonderful and very colorful. But of course there has to be a complication, both with her family and with the man she thinks she loves!

This is a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it!  I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars!

Saturday is Horror Day #104 – Phantasm IV: Oblivion

Leave a reply

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Phantasm IV: Oblivion

The saga continues as Mike (A Michael Baldwin) and Reggie (Reggie Bannister) chase down the elusive Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), determined (as always) to take him out once and for all. And yet for all their good intentions and machinations, they never manage to do so, do they?

In the fourth installment, our heroes are separated, but working toward the same goal. Mike is driving a

hearse, and Reggie a muscle car. Naturally, the Tall Man appears to both of them at different times, toying with Mike. He continues to call him boy (though he ceased to be one long ago) and tells him what he can and cannot do. Mike’s brother Jody (Bill Thornbury) makes his appearance as well, although there is some confusion as to just what he is, as he supposed died years ago.

Their individual pursuits lead Reggie and Mike to Death Valley where they find the same weird gateway they found in the mausoleum in the first film. Mike enters it and finds himself in what he believes to be a different time, and there he encounters a different incarnation of the Tall Man, a much nicer version. Meanwhile, Reggie, as usual, manages to pick up a girl, because we know what a chick magnet he is.

Seriously, there is not a lot to this one. Mike is not only depressing, he’s suicidal, and who can blame him? He’s spent his whole life in this nonsensical pursuit of the Tall Man. Who wouldn’t be psychologically disturbed? Reggie is Reggie, and for the most part oblivious to a great deal, but I will say he’s a great friend, and someone who won’t ever give up. Still, this adds little to the sage, except for the possibility that maybe Mike and Jody can go back to the beginning and change things. But that remains to be seen. There is one more film in the series. I’ll give this film 2.5 Stars

Book Review: Demon Slayer, Vol 7 by Koyoharu Gotouge

Leave a reply

Demon Slayer, Vol 21     

Author: Koyoharu Gotouge

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: April 6, 2021

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

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

The Number 1 demon has been defeated, but at what price? Now, it’s on to settle this once and for all by getting rid of Muzan. Sanemi is devastated, but Gyomei reminds him they must continue until the job is done. Tanjiro is heartbroken at how many of them are dying, but his determination never wavers. They come across Muzan at last, only to find that he has killed Tomayo, sneering at her that her medicine to turn demons human has failed. When the Demon Slayers arrive, he is determined to kill them all and devour them as snacks.

Tanjiro is determined to eradicate the evil that is Muzan Kibutsuji. But can he and the others do that, do they have the skill to defeat him… or at least hold out until the remaining Hashira arrive? Things seem to have taken a terrible turn. Tanjiro has been wounded, perhaps fatally, and his life flashes before his eyes… Correction, this is someone else’s life. An ancestor, perhaps? Meanwhile, Nezuko has received the news that her brother needs her…and nothing will stop her, not walls or people or anything else!

We’re almost down to the wire now. Only Muzan is left, and two volumes of the series to go. Demons and Demon Slayers alike being slaughtered. How will this end? Hopefully with good defeating Evil. Only time will tell.

Wednesday Briefs: March 1, 2023

Leave a reply

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.

Broken Path, Starless Tail Chapter One; by Cia Nordwell
 

Beckett rolled a blade of grass between his fingers. The bottom of the stem was full and round, and the blade fluttered when he spun it again. Grasping the two pieces, he pulled slowly, trying to get the whole blade off the stem before it broke.

“Damn.” It tore, so he tossed the grass down on the field and pursed his lips, looking for another one. A foot kicked his hip, rolling from his belly to his side.

“What are you doing?”

“Dying of boredom.” Beckett squinted up at the dark shape, the sun burning his eyes so they watered.

Continue reading →

Film Review: Ip Man 4: The Finale

Leave a reply

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Ip Man 4: The Finale

Ip Man (Donnie Yen) is having troubles with his moody son Ching (He Ye). He doesn’t want to do anything his father tells him and gets into fights at school. Ip decides to travel to San Francisco, to see about getting his son into a school there. Time is of the essence, as he has just been diagnosed with cancer. A former student, Bruce Lee (Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan) invites Ip to witness a martial arts demonstration when he is there.  In order to get his son into the school, Ip needs a letter of recommendation from the Chinese Benevolent Assocation, located in Chinatown. However, the head of the association, Wan Zong Hua (Yue Wu) is dismissive of Bruce Lee’s desire to teach Chinese martial arts to other people, and refuses to give Ip the letter.

Ip receives a letter from another source and takes it to the school, but he is told he still needs the letter

from the CBA. While there, he witnesses a Chinese girl being bullied by a jealous classmate, and leaps to her defense. She turns out to be the daughter of Mr. Wan. However, when Ip returns Yonah (Vanda Margraf) to her home, her father is still not impressed. To complicate matters, Yonah’s bully is the daughter of a racist Marine who advocates karate and has no use for kung fu or Chinese people. He is determined to close down the CBA and teach the Chinese their place. Something  has to give!

 

Sorry to say this is the last film in the series, and we have to say good-bye to Mr. Ip, but this film does not disappoint. The racist sergeant will make your blood boil, and I am angry that his bully daughter never faces any real consequences. The actor playing Bruce Lee did a good job, and all the fight scenes are well choreographed and very interesting. Although this is the last Ip Man, I plan to watch more Donnie Yen films. I’ll give this film 4.5 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #102 – Terrifier

Leave a reply

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Terrifier

It’s Halloween night, and Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) are out having a good time. But they have a bit too much to drink, so they decide to get a bite to eat to eat at a small diner. There they see the same creepy clown (David Howard Thornton) that was annoying them earlier. Did he follow them? Dawn doesn’t let him get to her and cheekily asks for a selfie while sitting on his lap.

 

After he leaves, they return to the car only to find one of the tires has been slashed. Distraught, Tara calls 

her sister Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) for a ride. Although she’s studying for midterms, she agrees to come get them when her roommate returns unexpectedly with a male guest, and it’s obvious they are going to be noisy. While they wait, Tara has to use the bathroom, but where? Dawn smiles a man stepping out of a building and asks him on Tara’s behalf to let her in. Mike (Matt McAllister) is an exterminator and he’s reluctant, but finally agrees to let her in while Dawn waits in the car.

The building is disgusting and filthy, and it has rats, but beggars can’t be choosers. But then Art the Clown makes his appearance and everything goes downhill from there…

 

This film was… I guess torture porn would be a good description. The little plot there is only serves to bring everybody together in this location in order to be killed. Why? I have no idea what this guy’s problem is. He never speaks, remaining mute throughout the entire film. Why? No clue. Maybe we’ll find out in the sequel. Is there gore? In spades. One scene after another. This movie is not for the squeamish, not at all. There is one scene where a girl is hung upside down, naked, and split open, down the middle, starting between her legs.

I had many questions, but few answers. One of the biggest was why this scummy building would even need or call for an exterminator. It looked to be abandoned. So why was he there? Or is that just bad writing? The guy playing the clown did a great job. Definitely gave up very creepy vibes. Did I enjoy this movie? Not really. Am I going to see the sequel? Of course I am. So, I’ll so that if you know what you’re in for going into this, you’ll be fine. I wouldn’t blindside anyone with this though. I’ll give this film 4 Stars for doing what it meant to do pretty well. 

Book Review: Assassination Classroom, Vol 7

Leave a reply

Assassination Classroom, Vol 7   

Author: Yusei Matsui

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date:  December 1, 2015

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Action Adventure Manga/200 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

 

Koro Sensei’s study methods prove invaluable to his students when it comes time to take their exams. Several students won first place in their class, one even beating out the principal’s son! Of course his father was less than thrilled with that news, and was certainly less than supportive of how well Gakushu did, focusing on what he didn’t do instead. Koro Sensei promised that those students who came in first place could shoot off one of his tentacles, so that makes seven tentacles he’s going to lose!

More importantly, the students in Class 3E have bested those in Class A, and are thus entitled to the summer prize of a three-day, two-night trip to Okinawa! Of course they will be spending the time before they go in devising new ways of assassinating Koro Sensei! The first semester under his tutelage may be over, but the assignment is still on!

Irina’s superior, Mr. Lovro, returns, determined to bring in the winning assassin to complete the job! He believes there is only one real person who can do this, the greatest assassin of them all, known simply as the Grim Reaper. The students are excited as they sail to the island of their holiday, planning how to kill Koro Sensei. Since one of his weaknesses is water, this seems like an ideal location for an assassination! They break up into groups with varying agendas, but at the same time they are timing their opportunities to kill their teacher very carefully. They devise a plan that includes the ballroom of the hotel where they are staying, a structure which sits over water! But just as they reduce Koro Sensei to an indefensible state, someone else strikes who turns all their plans upside down! And now it’s up to them, as well as Karasuma and Irina, to save Koro Sensei!

I loved the exams and their outcomes, and how the students showed up the supposedly superior class. I feel sorry for the principal’s son with such a terrible father. The vacation on the island is just what the students needed, but who could have predicted what happened at the end? Looking forward to seeing how they utilize the skills their teacher has taught them in order to rescue him.