Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Early Movie Review: Now You See Me

Title: Now You See Me
Director: Louis Letterrier
Producer: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Bobby Cohen
Written by: Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 31, 2013
For more information about the movie visit the official site here
My Thoughts:

     My first thoughts about Now You See Me were:  What?  How?  Where the heck did that come from?  Oh, ok, I did not see that coming.  After the end of Now You See Me, I was left reeling from it, and feeling like the movie was one giant illusion meant to trick the audience into believing they’re seeing something they’re not—well, at the very least, that’s how I felt.  It really made me think about the plot as it progressed as new details emerged.  Now You See Me is the kind of movie I’d eventually buy when it comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray, just to see if there were any small details I missed the first time I’d seen it.

      The plot follows “The Four Horsemen,” a team of talented illusionist, who go up against an elite team of FBI agents, in a series of thrilling heists.  Jack Wilder, Henley Reeves, Merritt McKinney, and J. Daniel Atlas start off as separate performers, unable to work with one another.  Through a course of mysterious events, the four end up working as a team.  The Horsemen were really the world’s greatest illusionist in this movie, as time after time, they always managed to stay one step ahead of the agents who were closing in on them. 

     Now You See Me was truly different from the other movies coming out this year.  I mean, come on.  How many times are you going to get a movie about illusionist pulling off heists?  I was so sure it was someone else, but it wasn’t.  I can’t say much more without spoiling the plot, but the secrets, oh the secrets will leave you questioning what you saw throughout the movie.  The greatest trick of Now You See Me was the movie itself, and the hidden details within it.  The only issue I really had with the movie was that there was some inappropriate suggestive content at seemingly random parts of the movie, and instances of crude humor that could have just been left out.  Otherwise, it was a pretty good movie.


 
Thank you to Summit Entertainment for the advanced screening tickets!  Another thank you to Z90.3 for the awesome Now You See Me hat!

 

Check out the trailer below:


Saturday, May 25, 2013

Review: Double Vision by F. T. Bradley


Double Vision
Title: Double Vision
(Click on the title link for synopsis)
Author:  F.T. Bradley
Publisher/Publication Date: 
HarperCollins Children's, October 16, 2012
Source/Format:  Borrowed from Library,
Hardback
Double Vision, Double agent, Double Fun and Excitement! That explains the debut novel Double Vision by F. T. Bradley in a nutshell. The cover appeared exciting enough and the synopsis drew me in, but I approached this book with reservations since I was unfamiliar with Bradley’s work.  Now, I suggest removing the caution tape and approaching the book full speed ahead. You will not be disappointed because this middle-grade spy novel provides non-stop action and adventure.

Lincoln (Linc) Baker is a mischievous twelve-year-old prone to causing trouble, and one wrong decision lands him and his family in a world of trouble.  With a lawsuit pending against his family, and not enough funds to cover it, Linc decides to take up an offer from a shadowy government agency called Pandora. F.T. Bradley did a phenomenal job on Double Vision as she transformed a mischievous kid who used the context of the world for knowledge into a not so skilled but effective spy.  Linc’s mission was to find the “evil Mona Lisa.”  It leads Linc on a whirlwind adventure in Paris, full of action, humor, cool gadgets, spies, betrayals, and a plot that had me guessing till the end.  Along the way Linc made a few interesting friends such as a cab driver with crazy driving skills that had me nervous for Linc, and then a girl from a bakery, a strong female character, who has mad-skills with a stick.  What’s not to like about that?
I would definitely recommend Double Vision by F.T. Bradley.  Ok, ok, ok, let’s just say that it was the perfect spy themed novel that needs to be adapted into a movie!  End of discussion.                                    – Review  written by Andrea M.  & Breana M.


 Browse Inside


 
Watch as F. T. Bradley Discusses Double Vision

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Cover Reveal: Darker Days (The Darker Agency #1) by Jus Accardo

     As always, thanks to Entangled Publishing for letting us do yet another cover reveal for them!  I have to say, the cover is unique, and I like the pop of colors in the background.  So without further ado, scroll down to see the cover of Darker Days by Jus Accardo. I hope you enjoy the cover and excerpt!
 
 
 
What? You thought it was going to be that easy? Keep scrolling!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Don't worry, you're getting warmer, because you're almost there... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The cover 
 
Title: Darker Days (The Darker Agency #1)
Author: Jus Accardo
Publisher/Expected Publication Date:  Entangled Teen, August 2013
 
Synopsis

     Jessie Darker goes to high school during the day, but at night she helps with the family investigation business. Cheating husbands and stolen inheritances? They’re your girls—but their specialty is a bit darker. Zombie in your garage? Pesky Poltergeist living in your pool? They’ll have the problem solved in a magical minute. For a nominal fee, of course...

     When gorgeous new client, Lukas Scott, saunters into the office requesting their help to find a stolen box, it sounds like a simple case—until the truth comes out. The box is full of Sin.

     Seven deadly ones, in fact.

     They’ve got five days to recapture the Sins before they're recalled by the box, taking seven hijacked human bodies with them. Easy peasy—except for one thing...
     There’s a spell that will allow the Sins to remain free, causing chaos forever. When the key ingredient threatens the life of someone she knows, Jessie must make the ultimate choice between love and family—or lose everything. 


Excerpt

     “So not your biggest fan at the moment,” I said, closing the office door behind me. The runofffrom my jeans had soaked my sneakers pretty good. With each step, I gave a slight squishing noise accompanied by an annoying squeak against the old tile floor.

      From across the room, Mom stared. “What happened to you?”

      “It attacked me.” Tossing my bag on the couch, I sank into her chair and made sure to grind my butt into the cushion. Got it nice and wet. I was all about sharing the love—and right now, the love was soggy.

     She laughed, waving a folder in my direction. “Surely you’re overreacting. It was one little zombie. They don’t attack people.”

     “I’m serious, Ma. It tried to drown me. And the client assaulted me with ugly footwear. As far as punishments go, I’d say we’re probably square. I’ve learned my lesson.”

     “You’re serious?” Amused expression now replaced by concern, she crossed the room and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me.

      “As a coronary.” Once I was sure the chair had sponged up all it could, I stood and huffed past her. Pulling at my favorite T-shirt—the word Fate inside a blood red heart, is a four letter word on the back—I said, “Child welfare would not be happy to hear you tried to feed your only child to a walking corpse…”

     “But why would it attack? Did you provoke it?” Folding her arms, she frowned. “Insult it, perhaps?”

      I winked at her. “Provoke it? Sure. I went and wiggled my ass in front of it yelling lunch just to see what’d happen.” I’d called it Stinky, but that didn’t count as an insult. Something couldn’t be considered an insult if it was true, right?

     Right eyebrow twitching, she fought against a smile. “But you’re okay, right? No bites, broken bones, head injuries, possessions…?”

     I smiled and did a little twirl. “All in one piece and still me.”

     Mom had a checklist she went through at the end of each job. I was known for taking almost as much damage as I inflicted.

     “Oh, and you’re probably going to get a call from the client. I sorta smashed her fence in the process.”

      Mom groaned. “I told you to be more careful.”

     “It’s not like I tried to break anything.”

     “Something tells me you didn’t try hard enough not to break anything, either.”

     “In my defense, it wasn’t a simple trap and slap…”

     “We can’t afford this.” She reached down and pulled a white envelope out from under a stack of papers. “This is the bill for that Mercedes you smashed.”

     “Oh! So not my fault. How was I supposed to know that Spring Heel was gonna land on the car? If it makes you feel any better, I think he was aiming for my head…”

     “If you keep this up, we won’t even be able to afford the rent.”

     She was right, of course, and it made me feel horrible. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a wrecking ball wrapped in blue jeans. Take my cut of this job and put it toward the repairs. Keep my paycheck for the next month, too.” A good start, but it didn’t feel like enough. Sure, it would cover the damages—I hoped—but I felt guilty about upsetting her. The bills that were piling up kept her awake at night. This was only going to make things worse. We got a fair amount of business, but the overhead in our line of work was sky high.

     As much as I hated the idea, I knew what would cheer her up. “I’ll even throw in pet possessions for the next month.”

 
 Find Darker Days
 
About Jus AccAardo
 
 
JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author the popular Denazen series from Entangled publishing and is currently working on the first book in a new adult series due out summer 2013. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald.

 
Find Jus Accardo



Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Cover Reveal & Excerpt: The Rising King by Shea Berkley

    First off, thank you to Entangled for letting us reveal the cover of The Rising King by Shea Berkly!  There's also an excerpt, so make sure you go through the entire post.  So you know the drill, scroll down for the cover!



 
 

 
Synopsis

     The summer before Dylan Kennedy’s senior year in high school is turning out to be anything but boring. Ridiculously hot girlfriend? Check. Killing evil Dark Souls who suddenly have aspirations of taking over the magical realm of Teag because its protective spell is gone? Check.

     Not even Teag’s King, Dylan’s father, Baun, can stop them. People are dying, and a dark magic that his girlfriend, Kera, received from Baun is growing stronger. Dylan wants to believe Kera is suppressing the darkness that’s in her, but every day he sees that control slip just a little more.

      Baun sends Dylan to find a powerful magic that stop the Dark Souls, a magic so strong that Baun hid it so no one else could use it. When Dylan doesn’t expect to find along with it, are consequences that could end the lives of those closest to him.
 

And now for the except:

     I ease my hand into Kera’s and lace our fingers together, bringing her deep violet eyes onto me. They sweep over my face, and the edges of her full lips curve upward as if she’s fighting a smile. She sets aside the book and leans close bringing the scent of summer with her. “You scared me to death.”

    I love it when she worries about me. When it comes to my life, someone caring enough to worry is sort of a new thing. “You do that all the time to me.” I tug her hand and bring her closer so I can snag a quick kiss.

     Kera pushes away, but I don’t let go. The look she throws me is serious. “I’m not kidding, Dylan. You have to be more wary, especially when it comes to creatures like the millispits.”

     “I didn’t die.” It’s a reminder that’s kind of obvious.

     “Because I saved you.”

     “What’s that make? Two for me and one for you?”

     She leans back, testing the limits of our reach. “Are you keeping score?”

     “No…” I hate getting caught like that, and slowly pull her back toward me, “…it just sounds like I am, but I’m not.”

     I pull her right off her chair and onto the bed and on top of me. I bury my face in her hair and breathe deeply. No one smells as good as Kera. “Was anyone else hurt?” I ask even as I place little kisses along her jaw.

     She stretches her neck back for me. “Leo received a splinter.”

     “Ummm,” I say, enjoying the feel of her skin against my lips. “Will he live?”

     “To see Lucinda hover over him after we got back, you would not think so. She very clearly said we were not allowed to take him anywhere without her.”

     I twist and flip her onto her back until I’m hovering over her. As seriously as I can, I say, “Lucinda’s crazy. You know that, right?”

      “I am aware of a few odd peculiarities that make up her personality.” She brushes my hair back and twirls a piece over my ear. “With that said, she does seem to honestly care for Leo.”

      “Like an owner does a pet. But for how long?” I ask, more to myself than to her.

      “As long as it pleases her to do so, I imagine.”

      I’m not in the mood to dwell on Lucinda and what her agenda might be. All I want is to hold Kera. I nibble just below her ear and she giggles. I love the sound of her laughter. I stop and place my forehead to hers. “And how long will you care for me?”

      “My heart would be crushed if I were to never see you again. I would die a thousand deaths every day.”

      Are those actual tears in her eyes? “My heart is crushed every time I see you and I can’t kiss you.” I’ve never said a sappier statement, or a truer one.

      She places a sweet kiss on my lips. “That rarely happens.”

      I kiss her back, and say against her lips, “Because you crave my kisses.”

      She laughs and pushes free. Rolling to her feet, she says with a smile, “Because I like to kiss.”

     “Me,” I say, popping up on my elbows. “You like to kiss me.”

     Her smile widens.

      I snatch her hand. She’s adopted wearing a wide, tight leather bracelet on her right wrist. It’s etched and embossed with a swirling pattern that is so Kera, I can’t remember when she didn’t wear it. We do a quick, playful game of tug of war before I yank her back. “Tell me you love me.”

     She winds her arms around my neck and smothers my face with tiny kisses. “I love you madly.”

 
Find Shea Berkley
 
The Marked Son (Keepers of Life #1) 

Goodreads Amazon Barnes and Noble The Book Depository
The Fallen Prince (Keepers of Life #2) 

Goodreads Amazon Barnes and Noble The Book Depository
 

Early Movie Review: Fast and Furious 6

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Title: Fast and Furious 6
Director: Justin Lin
Producer: Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Clayton Townsend
Written by: Chris Morgan
Release Date: May 24, 2013
For more information about the movie, visit the official site here.
My Thoughts:
 
    Wow, oh holy action-packed, tank stealing, crap!  Fast and the Furious fans rejoice!  We’ve got another fast-paced installment into the series.  Out of all of the movies in the Fast and the Furious series I have to admit that I liked this one the most.  It had me gasping in shock the entire time, as secrets were uncovered, lies were undone, and the truth finally came to light.  The characters were as awesome as always, and I felt like the plot was more apparent than in the other films.  I was not disappointed by the way it turned out.  If you think that’s all, then you’ve got another thing coming.  Fast and Furious 6 was as funny as it was action-packed, with hilarious moments sneaking up out of nowhere.  In fact, Fast and Furious 6 is one movie that I’d like to go see again. 

     The old Crew from the previous movies—Dominic Toretto, Brian O’Conner, Roman Pearce, Tej Parker, Han Seoul-Oh, and Gisele Yashar—are back at it again.  Having seemingly moved on with their lives, and given up their old lifestyles for a quieter existence, I was looking forward to seeing what jumpstarted the conflict.  After being contacted by a Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent, they once again lapse back into their old ways.    This time, the task presented from the beginning of the movie, is one that hits-home pretty hard.  Letty Ortiz, a former member of their Crew, who was thought to be dead, is seemingly working with the antagonists of the film. 

     When I first saw the trailer, I was like how the heck is she still alive?  Let me tell you, the truth behind the whole thing will leave you breathless.  Tough decisions were made, as the Crew goes up against one of their toughest adversaries ever.  Owen Shaw was just nuts, the guy was too smart for his own good, but it made seeing the movie all that much better.  As always there were the cars—although I miss the Nissan Skyline—the street races, the cool stunts, and the heartfelt mission at the core of the movie.  I really felt like Fast and Furious 6 bridged the gap between the other movies in the series, as well as answering many questions that I had after then end of Tokyo Drift.  It shouldn’t be hard to guess that I cannot wait till number 7 comes out.  Although, I don’t recommend sitting in the nose-bleed section of the movie theater.  You need a higher-up seat to fully enjoy the movie.

"I second this review!"—Andrea M.



Thank you to Universal Pictures for the Advanced Screening Passes!

Check out the trailer for Fast and Furious 6 below:



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