'Strigoi: The Undead' - on DVD

My latest movie article on 'Strigoi: The Undead' (DVD):

Synopsis: After failing to start a life of his own, 20-something Vlad is forced to move back to his grandfather’s old farming village in Romania. Though the village seems like a typical Eastern European haven, a mysterious death suddenly thrusts Vlad into the heart of a murder mystery. As he sets out to investigate, his trail leads him to the Tirescus — an ex-Communist couple who happen to be the richest landowners in town. Though Vlad is determined to confront the Tirescus, his quest takes a detour when he learns that the two bullies may be bloodsuckers in more ways than one…

This is considered a dark comedy, strangely, with a different type of vampire mythology.

Read full article here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/strigoi-the-undead

True Blood Recap - June 24, 2011

I watched one of my favorite shows Sunday night - True Blood. I jotted down notes for the entire show...my own little attempt at creating a recap or giving a play-by-play of what happened in that episode. Whew! That was WORK especially when I had to type it up from my scribblings! Not sure that I'll do that again as it took away from my own entertainment and enjoyment of the show since I was feverishly writing in a notebook. Anyway, it provided some fun content for my blog...and now...

True Blood, Sunday, July 24, 2011 - "Me and the Devil"

RECAP:

Tommy gets into a brawl with his parents and ends up killing them. He didn't intend on killing his mother, but she ran into the middle of the fight and was a casualty. I hated that creepy Joe Lee - walking around in his baggy underwear.

Marnie admits to a witch spirit possessing her and casting spells on Eric and Pam.

After Arlene's baby (or the ghost of Rene, the baby's father) wrote on the wall, Terry suggests they call the Reverend for an exorcism.

Eric dreams of Godric pushing him to drink Sookie's blood and embrace his true vampire nature. That's freaky since Godric is dead - and this isn't the first time such a vivid form of Godric has appeared to Eric. The Dream Godric seems evil compared to the one that was alive. Eric discovers he's in Sookie's room, she awakens and wonders what the heck he's doing there. He said, "I had a bad dream." And Sookie lets him stay with her in bed till the sun comes up.

Hoyt and Jessica have saved Jason. Well, Jessica actually did after finding him almost dead on the road and she gave him her healing blood. Hoyt and Jessica have an awkward moment when she acts "distant" to his affection.

Bill glamours Portia, who is his great, great, great (you get the point) granddaughter as a means to keep her away from him. It didn't seem to bother her to continue a sexual relationship with Bill, knowing that they were related. Bill clearly wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

Eric asks Sookie: "Am I evil?' She comments that he was but she likes the new Eric. He's sweet.

Pam waltzes into Bill's office looking like a beekeeper in order to conceal her rotting flesh - courtesy of Marnie/witch spirit's spell.

Lafayette and Jesus are going to Jesus' Grandpa's place in Mexico. He's a shaman. Jesus talked about a goat sacrifice he was involved in as a child with his Grandpa. He felt power surging through his body from that sacrifice and knows his Grandpa might be able to help them with the spells cast upon Eric (who currently doesn't even know he's ticked off at them) and Pam. Lafayette and Jesus, being involved with the witches, are terrified the vampires will come after them to seek revenge.

Tara's girlfriend in New Orleans discovers that Tara has been lying to her about her identity. They talk on the phone.

Tommy brings his dead parents to Sam and needs help in disposing of the bodies.

Jason tells Hoyt about being raped by several women and thinks his past lifestyle is to blame. Jason hears mention of a full moon coming soon and flips out.

Terry and Arlene have the Reverend Daniels and Tara's mom, Lettie Mae, who is now married to the Reverend, perform the exorcism in the house. We learn evil likes to hide in corners.

Sookie visits Marnie's shop to check her out. Sookie claims she wants a reading. Marnie senses Gran and Sookie can hear the thoughts. Gran says Sookie's new love interest is temporary, to look out for Jason and that Marnie is evil and Sookie should run.

Sam and Tommy have their parents bodies in a van and are driving somewhere to dump them. But Andy pulls them over and insists on seeing inside the van. Tommy shapeshifts into a gator to throw Andy off and stops him from inspecting the back of the van. Andy doesn't see the bodies.

Marnie is apprehended by Bill's men and taken to a cell to be interrogated.

Tara tells Sookie about the lesbian relationship she has in New Orleans and how she hates Bon Temps. She tells Sookie how she has lied to her girlfriend about who she is.

While in her cell, Marnie prays to the witch goddess and has a vision. She sees witches in prison, priests arrive to visit the witches, but guess what the priests are? Vampires.

Confrontation between Eric and Tara. He emerged from his hiding place in Sookie's house and Tara sees him and screams - telling Sookie she's a hypocrite. Tara condemns Eric for the many terrible things he's done and runs out the door.

Bill questions Marnie about the witches, curses and spells; in particular wondering where is Eric? Marnie doesn't know crap.

Lafayette and Jesus get to Jesus's Grandpa's house and Gramps says to them, "I've been expecting you."

Alcide gets a visit from the Packmaster for that vicinity he's living in. The Packmaster is not a happy camper that Alcide has not registered with the pack. Alcide tells the Packmaster to take a hike.

Sam and Tommy dump their parents' dead bodies into a swamp. Sam tosses in marshmallows to draw the gators up to the surface at which time they can chow down on the dead bodies. Tommy feels guilty. Sam confesses he's killed two people who robbed him and says Tommy killed the parents in self-defense or an act of war.

Terry and Arlene go to bed and assume all is well with the baby and ridding the house of any ghosts or evil. Except a book of matches ignites out of the blue. That's not good.

Since Jason drank Jessica's blood, they have a bond and she enters his dreams and seduces him. Hoyt pops up in the dream, too, freaking out Jason.

Eric asks Sookie if he really did all those bad things Tara accused him of. She said yes, but he's different now. Eric said: "There's a light in you and I couldn't bare it if I snuffed it out." He takes off and Sookie runs after him…shouting to not go. He returns to her then they KISS!

Bill has a meeting with his sheriffs, still wondering where the hell is Eric and figures the witches are behind it. Vampires throughout history have always held important, powerful roles in high places of society. We learn that Marnie's goddess and the spirit that possesses her was a sorceress and necromancer named Antonia. At one time, she commanded a power that made vampires walk out into the sun and die. Some want to kill Marnie but Bill insisted no human casualties. Pam is visibly upset and lets something slip…Pam and Sookie had a deal that Pam was to keep her mouth shut about Eric hiding out at Sookie's…but Pam's loose lips reveal that Eric's memory has been erased. Bill forces Pam to tell him where Eric is at…Sookie's. Bill races out of the house and we assume he's zooming to Sookie's place. Soooomebodyyyyy's in troooouble… ;)

Article: 'The Amazing Spider-Man' (2012) Tidbits

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Tidbits

Action | Adventure | Thriller - Not due to be released until July 3, 2012 (USA) in theaters.

Stars:  Andrew Garfield, Irrfan Khan, Denis Leary

TRIVIA:
>In early January 2010, Sony announced that they canceled their idea of making Spider-Man 4 with director Sam Raimi and actor Tobey Maguire, who started their work together on Spider-Man, and instead decided to re-boot the Spider-Man franchise with a new crew.

Read full article here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/the-amazing-spider-man-2012-tidbits

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

My latest article on Cowboys & Aliens. The trailer captures my attention & overall, the movie intrigues me as something "different"...

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.

PG-13, 118 min - Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller - July 29, 2011 (USA) in Theaters.

Stars:  Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde

Trivia: Daniel Craig was chosen because of his distinct likeness to Yul Brynner, who starred in the cowboy epic The Magnificent Seven.

Read full article here with more trivia, movie links, full synopsis:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/cowboys-aliens

Captain America - The First Avenger (2011)

My latest article...

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

After being deemed unfit for military service during WWII, Steve Rogers (Evans) volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty -- a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. His first mission: to combat the Nazi propaganda effort headed by Johann Schmidt (Weaving), also known as the Red Skull.

PG-13, 125 min - Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi – In Theaters on Friday, July 22, 2011 (USA).

TRIVIA:
>Budget:  $140,000,000 (estimated).
>Despite being "The First Avenger", it is the last solo Avenger film to be released before the team-up film, The Avengers.

Read complete article HERE:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/captain-america-the-first-avenger

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Trivia

How could I pass by compiling an article on this movie?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011):

The final film in the franchise topped all other Harry Potter movies’ midnight grosses with a huge $43.5 million in the first night of showings at 3,800 locations. It shattered the midnight box office record previously held by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which earned just over $30 million from midnight shows in 2010. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 earned $24 million in its first night last year (midnight showings).

The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again. (Written by Jordan) 

FULL ARTICLE HERE:
 http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-tidbits-and-trivia

A Place to Ask ME Questions

Here's something new I'm trying out...yep-another place on the net I can be found...but where you can more easily ask me questions. I know, I know. I had recently posted about trying to back off on so many networking sites I try to maintain...eek - slap me!

It's called Formspring and this is the official website description of it:

"Formspring encourages people to find out more about each other in a simple and fun way. It starts by directly asking people original questions in anticipation of their entertaining or revealing responses. Responses can range from straightforward to surprising and can lead to understanding something more about the people you know or find interesting. Whether you are curious to know more about a college you are applying to, the movies your friend likes, or the stories of someone you respect, on Formspring, you can have fun, share insights, and relate to one another in a new way."

http://www.formspring.me/GinaMarieLong

My latest article on Insidious

Insidious (2010) on DVD -

A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

The Story (description from the Official Website):
From the creators of Saw and Paranormal Activity, Insidious is the terrifying story of a family who shortly after moving discover that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to realize that it was not their house that was haunted.

To read entire article, go here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/insidious-2010-on-dvd

John Carpenter's "The Ward"

My latest article on The Ward:
A thriller centered on an institutionalized young woman who becomes terrorized by a ghost. Stars Amber Heard.
Rated "R", 88 min - Horror | Thriller | Supernatural - Released in limited theaters on July 8, 2011 (USA). This title will be released on DVD - August 16, 2011, according to Amazon.com. There's been buzz that some people have already purchased a legit copy, which is odd if it's just hitting U.S. theaters. It appears that it premiered in Canada September 13, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Taglines:  Only Sanity Can Keep You Alive.

Read complete article:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/john-carpenter-s-the-ward

Beastly Article

My latest article on Beastly (2011) Profile...

A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love.

PG-13,   86 min  -  Drama | Fantasy | Romance  -  Now out on DVD - Release Date: June 28, 2011

Read full article:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/beastly-2011-profile

My latest article on Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Info & Trivia

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

PG-13,   157 min  -  Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi   -  In theaters: June 29, 2011 (USA)

TRIVIA:
>Transformers movies are based on the toy series that gained popularity in the 1980s.
>Transformers are (fictional) sentient alien robots coming from the planet Cybertron. They are divided into two factions: the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, almost always led by Megatron.

Read full article here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/transformers-dark-of-the-moon-2011-info-trivia