The blog of author Stacy Kingsley

Book Review - THE BODIES WE WEAR

12/25/2014

Faye was eleven when she was forced by drug dealers seeking revenge to take the drug Heam, and since then life has never been the same. Now seventeen she feels like she is ready to exact her revenge and she starts plotting to kill those who drugged her and killed her friend, Christopher.

This is listed as a YA novel, and it works as one if you don't mind your Young Adult reading about the perils of drug abuse, and well drug abuse period. This book is all about drug abuse and how once addicted to a drug it's hard to rid yourself of that needy feeling of addiction. While it might scare some off of trying drugs (at least one young woman dies from the abuse) it also goes into detail the euphoria some feel when taking drugs.

The book is an easy read, I read it in a few hours, and if your teen is a fast reader it won't take them long to get through this book. Faye is an hard character to like or get interested in, her history is developed enough that the reader knows why she is addicted to Heam and why it really wasn't her fault, but there are relationships in the story that aren't really explained. For example when a person gets addicted to Heam the family of that person just disowns them and refuses to talk or acknowledge them, but why this happens is never explained.

When Faye meets Chael the story takes a turn and the reader hopes that finally she will be able to move on and start a real life, but then humans being humans, bad things happen and Faye suffers consequences. She doesn't really care if she lives or dies, and she knows that once she gets her revenge she may die and she is fine with that.

In the end, I personally, didn't find the book to be complete. With everything that happens, all the drama and tension and struggle that Faye goes through, to have the book end so simply didn't work for me. I understand the authors need to bring things to a close, but the last few chapters seemed almost thrown together and they didn't flow as well as the rest of the story. If felt rushed, like the author needed to finish the book and wasn't sure what to say.

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Movie Review - MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

12/24/2014

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Martha escapes from a violent cult in rural America and tries to rekindle a relationship with her estranged sister, Lucy, and her sister's husband, Ted. Due to the brainwashing or development she endured emotionally for the two years she was in the cult, Martha, has trouble engaging with others socially and she has trouble establishing healthy relationships with her sister or her sister's husband. The severity of her emotional detachment causes her sister, Lucy, to wonder what kind of trauma and how deep it went with Martha.

This movie was difficult to watch at first, not just because of the abusive subject matter, but because it kept flipping back and forth between the present and the past, the cult life and the life Martha was trying to establish after leaving the cult. There were times when I wasn't sure if I were watching what was happening now or what had happened in the past. It was not always easy to follow what was going on. I also thought that the beginning of the movie didn't really establish well enough how Martha got drawn into the cult, how she was recruited, why she joined, or what caused her to stay.

After leaving the cult Martha seems detached from reality and very child-like, not understanding how social morals work. Lucy and Ted are obviously confused and a little angry as to why Martha acts the way she does, especially when she tries to climb into bed with them while they are having sex (she doesn't try to join she just wants to sleep near them). While a little slow to develop and a little confusing because of the present/past changes, this movie does give a little insight into how difficult it might be to leave a cult and try to build a regular life again. Also the troubled relationship between Martha and Lucy does make you feel sympathetic towards both characters.

Once she leaves the cult it doesn't mean that the cult has let her go and Martha realizes at the end of the movie she may never really be free.

This movie has it's ups and downs, it isn't one of the best movies I've ever seen, and the ending didn't satisfy me, however, it was an interesting movie. Yes, it was hard to follow because of all of the back and forth, the relationship between the sisters made me continue to watch. This isn't a satisfying movie however, and doesn't really give much insight into the characters before the disappearance of Martha into the cult. Lucy never even learns that Martha was in a cult, she just knows something terrible happened to her sister and she needs help.

The interesting part of the movie, the strained relationship of the sisters, developed enough to let me feel like it was possible for the sisters to have a normal relationship in the future. This movie also made me wonder about leaving the life of a cult. The trauma one suffers at the hands of a cult is very deep and the ripples are probably forever.

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Movie Review - THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

12/24/2014

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While I did not review the first two movies in this blog I did see them. I wish that when movies come out in a series and there is a year or more between each film, I wish there was some sort of synopsis about what happened in the first movie or two or however many. I had forgotten what happened in THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG so at first I was somewhat confused as to what was happening in the beginning of the movie, especially since they started right in the action.

I don't think I enjoyed this movie as much as the first two in THE HOBBIT series. Honestly there were was way too much going on with regards to the fighting and the to the individual stories. After a certain point the movie just didn't interest me and about an hour in I was wondering how much longer until the movie was over. In fact at about the hour mark I looked at the time and thought it had already been two hours, it was just that dull.

To be perfectly honest, I never read the book, I tried and just couldn't do it. I still can't believe three movies were made from one book, especially when there was a book made from each of THE LORD OF THE RINGS books. This really could have been broken down into two movies, one with the adventure and the dragon, and the second with the fighting and all the deaths. Speaking of the deaths, they were a little overly dramatic in this movie. For a moment I wondered if I was watching a soap opera the deaths were that dramatic.

And at this point I may be rambling. I can't say I enjoyed this movie, out of all of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies it was my least favorite. The best character in FIVE ARMIES was Albert, he provided the comic relief needed and his character actually seemed to have personality, while most of the characters were just cardboard cutouts of themselves. I don't think I recommend this one.

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Last minute Christmas

12/15/2014

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If you haven't found that right Christmas present and are still looking for that special something for that special someone who you never seem to find the right gift for, check out my store on etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleBitOZombie

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Movie Review - DEAD SNOW 2: RED vs DEAD

12/15/2014

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First let me say that this sequel to DEAD SNOW is in English, so if you are looking for a fun, funky, foreign movie, you shouldn't look here. If you are looking for a movie with Nazi zombies, Star Wars references, an obviously gay man who never gets to say he's gay, a very abused person who provides comic relief, and a police officer who has no idea what's going on and is pretty sexist and obsessed with seagulls, this is the perfect movie for you.

I'll admit, I enjoyed the first DEAD SNOW movie immensely because of all the intestines. I have never in my life seen intestines used so much for so many things before in a a movie, and I really enjoyed it. If you are looking for a movie as good as the original, don't turn to the sequel, find something else to watch. If you are looking for a ridiculous movie, then of course you should watch this movie.

DS 2 follows Martin from the original movie. He has been found and is in the hospital with a surprising new limb. He tries to warn everyone who will listen that there is a big, bad, evil Nazi zombie army on the way wanting to kill everyone, but no one believes him, and why would they, zombies don't really exist. Martin learns of a "zombie squad" in America, and they are willing to travel to Norway to help him fight this incredible zombie army. From their hilarity and intestines and lots of head shots ensue.

DS 2 doesn't take itself too seriously, in fact I don't think it took itself even a little seriously. This movie is just one joke after another and it doesn't follow any of the rules set in the first movie. There are magical zombies, zombie parts that mysteriously fit together, zombies that are killed and brought back to life over and over and over, humans who survive even though they have no idea what they are doing, tanks, more snow covered zombies who dig themselves out, zombie body parts that never rot, and of course English speaking German Nazis.

Really this was a terrible movie, but it was so terrible I couldn't look away and, with the help of a friend, I even started a drinking game just for zombie movies (when it's hammered out I will for sure post it here). What really made this movie worth watching was the end, when Martin is reunited with an old friend. That was the moment, the one moment, that made me love this movie. Of course, I'm probably not going to watch it again, and I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone else, but if you are bored and want something both terrible and humorous to watch, check out DEAD SNOW 2: RED vs DEAD.

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Movie Review - A NORMAL HEART

12/5/2014

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Usually I wouldn't review such a serious movie for my blog, especially since this is mostly a horror blog, but the AIDS crisis continues today and this movie was a great representation of the beginning days of the virus in New York. The movie follows Ned Weeks (played by Mark Ruffalo), a gay activist who is continually watching his friends die from a disease called "Gay Cancer". It begins in 1981, which was several years before HIV/AIDS was recognized as a sexually transmitted disease.

Ned is an overbearing loudmouth who isn't good at making friends in high places, but he's passionate, especially since he is continually watching his friends and their lovers die of a disease that has no cure, no treatment and is getting no research help. Julia Roberts plays Dr. Emma Brookner, the one hope these Ned and his friends have at finding and getting a cure. Her ideas are not popular since they involve refraining from the intimacy of kissing and sex, but all she is trying to do is protect those she can. Dr. Brookner is tired of watching men come in sick, she is tired of watching nurses and doctors avoiding those who are deathly sick because they are afraid they can catch it, and she is tired of watching men die.

This was a pretty good movie. I felt that although there were times when it was slow, it showed both the heartache and the passion that the gay community had when HIV/AIDS first appeared. These people were suffering and not getting the help nor was the research being done to save lives. It wasn't until a heterosexual man in 1984 ended up sick that this epidemic began to gain more exposure. The movie is based on the life if Larry Kramer, the real life Ned Weeks, and is really very heartbreaking.

As I said before though, there were some very slow parts of this movie, and at one point I just wished that the character of Ned Weeks would be a little more respectful of his friends, especially those who had not outed themselves. I also found some of the other character a little too passive. These men were watching their friends die, and yet they were afraid to seek out the help they so desperately needed because they were afraid people would find out they were gay. So some of the characterizations were a little annoying and I would have liked to see a little bit more development in the personalities as the crisis became more urgent. Overall however, this was a pretty good and realistic portrayal of the beginning days of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

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Movie Review - DARK TOURIST

12/4/2014

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DARK TOURIST follows the dark hobby of Jim and his dark mind. Jim has a strange hobby: grief tourism - the act of traveling with the intent to visit places of tragedy or disaster. Each year he takes a week-long vacation from work and visits the locations of murders and takes in the lives of different serial killers. The movie follows him when he visits the crime scenes of Carl Marznap, a serial killer from New Orleans, Louisiana. The final scenes of the movie follow Jim's downward spiral and lets the audience know what has really been happening in Jim's life.

I thought this would be a fascinating movie, and honestly I've never given any thought to touring the places where serial killers have lived or killed, although if I think about it I do know there is a tour of where Jeffery Dahmer killed and lived in Detroit so I guess it isn't a new thing. Unfortunately I was incredibly disappointed in this movie. It delved too deeply into the psyche of Jim and there were moments where he was with Melanie Griffiths character that seemed like they were unnecessary to the film. There were moments when I was very confused as to what was going on, and who the story was really following, Jim or Carl. Their stories at one point intertwine so much I'm not sure who's flashback is being shown.

This movie could have been a lot more interesting if it showed Jim at more of the places that Carl had killed and if it had explored each of their characters a little more in depth. Honestly, I would have liked more in the film about dark tourism.

One thing I can say is that the ending was a little unexpected, there is a point in the movie where Jim's life can go one of two ways, and while I did wonder if some of what was happening was a dream or hallucination, I thought that while the ending was an interesting twist it was also a cop-out.

You might only want to watch this if you are bored and want something a little twisted.

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Movie Review - HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY PART 1

12/3/2014

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Let me start by saying I really enjoyed the first two movies quite a bit. Also, I'd like to put it out there that in movies that are part of a series there is usually one that is slow and not so good as the others. I feel like MOCKINGJAY PART 1 was the slow not so wonderful movie in the HUNGER GAMES series.

If you are a fan of watching Jennifer Lawrence look sad and cry then this is the perfect movie for you. Otherwise this movie was so slow I was wondering, before it was halfway through, when it was going to be over. I was so bored at one point I almost fell asleep. The dramatic moments in this movie were almost soap opera dramatic. I just don't understand how they could have taken the first two movies, which were action packed and character driven, and made a movie that was so slow and uninspired from this book series.

Now I know this won't be a popular review of this movie, so many people are already in love with it, but I think it could have been better. I did read the books and I think that in an effort to make four movies for this series they took some of the dullest things they could and made them duller. The best part of the movie was when Peeta and Katniss were reunited, otherwise I really could have cared less about what was going on. I was also incredibly uncomfortable with the communist Germany feel I got throughout the movie, some of the gestures and the actions made me uncomfortable.

Also, I must say Phillip Seymour Hoffman was wonderful as usual and he will be missed as an actor and a man. His performances in pretty much every movie was spectacular.

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Stacy Kingsley

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