This blog is for the things that are on my mind throughout the day. I will blog about the books I read, the movies/shows I watch, and the products I buy and enjoy. I may even blog a little about my own work.
Monday, November 24, 2014
God and Facebook
Do people really think that God is so concerned with their Facebook pages that he is going to do them a favor if they share an image some stupid asshole made to get more likes? Why do people do that shit? I hope people don't truly believe that. I really hope people aren't that stupid. If someone makes a pic of something you agree with than share the hell out of it, but don't share something just because you think God will hook you up with free shit.
And I hate when assholes add, "99% of people are too scared to repost this." What the shit? I agreed with the image's message, I would repost it, but now that your stupid ass added that last line I'm not sharing it because I don't want to look like a stupid asshole.
Thanks for listening to another pointless rant
- Linus
P.S
Like my Facebook page and God will probably or probably not continue to do whatever he was going to do today regardless of whether or not you liked my Facebook page. 99% of you are too scared anyway.
Linus Locke on Facebook
Leprechaun Origins Review
Anyway, I am a big fan of the Leprechaun franchise. It is silly, gory, and fun to watch. Plus, it doesn't take itself too seriously.Warwick Davis is amazing. He is such a charming actor in any role he plays. We should all know the story to the Leprechaun movies by now, but allow me to recap briefly. A Leprechaun, played by Warwick Davis, kills anyone who takes his gold, and most of the deaths are fun and creative. And that's about it. No really, that is about it, but trust me, the movies are fun to watch. I would recommend picking up the whole Leprechaun set from Amazon.
To start off my review of Leprechaun Origins I will say that there will be spoilers, so if you don't want to to know the details but you are still interested in my overall opinion than jump to the bottom of the review.
The film starts off with a young couple running away from what we can only assume is the Leprechaun. We don't see him, but he is snarling and growling. It sounds pretty badass, so I'm instantly pumped about the inevitable reveal. The couple is killed off quickly, and the movie starts with us meeting the main characters.
As far as the characters go, I'm glad they went with relatively unknown actors. I strongly believe that there is so much talent out there that we miss out on because Hollywood wants big names in everything. I only recognized one actor (and that doesn't mean much as I may just miss the movies the others are in), and that is Brendan Fletcher from Freddy Vs. Jason. Leprechaun Origins also features, Stephanie Bennett, Andrew Dunbar, and Melissa Roxburgh. After looking into the other actors, I do recall some of the other films and TV shows they have been in. I will stand by my statement that they are relatively unknown just because they are not A list.
Now really speaking about the characters, I don't know any of their names. I never felt invested enough in the characters to really care what their names were. Honestly I spent the whole time focusing on the Leprechaun (which you will find out is pretty sad). The actors did great, however. I always felt convinced by their performances, but I can't get over not knowing their names. There was Freddy Vs. Jason Guy, Other Guy, Freddy Vs. Jason Guy's Girlfriend, Other Guy's Girlfriend, Big Irish Guy, and Normal Sized Irish Guy.... and Leprechaun was in there somewhere.
That's right. He was in there somewhere. In the original Leprechaun moves, the Leprechaun was center stage. He was constantly talking, making us laugh right before making us cringe. Warwick Davis' Leprechaun was so much fun. Hornswoggle has to be just as fun, right? NO! we hardly ever see him. He is a little monster who never talks. Anytime he is on the screen everything is blurry. The special effects for the Leprechaun are terrible, or maybe they aren't. I don't know because we hardly get a really good look at him. THEY HAD HORNSWOGGLE AND DIDN'T USE HIM!!! I was so disappointed by this.
Anyway, our group is visiting Ireland when they come across a small village. While in the pub, they meet Big Irish Guy. He is a pretty pleasant guy, and I could have been convinced that he was innocent. As a horror movie fan, I trust nobody. He tells our group about some of the village's history, and offers to let them sleep in a cabin he owns so they can set out on a hike in the morning. His son, Normal Sized Irish Guy, shows up to give them a ride. Without the group knowing, the are locked in the cabin by the two Irishmen, and that is when the Leprechaun shows up. The death scenes were primitive. That's not really bad, but I was expecting more creative ways for people to die. There was no pogo stick deaths, no stomachs-full-of-gold deaths. Just people dying. As it turns out, the village knows about the Leprechaun, and they feed people to him to protect their village. It gives the story a lot of potential, but I feel like they didn't use it to their advantage as a Leprechaun film.
In short, the movie, as a Leprechaun movie, gets a 1 out of 5 from me. It was not at all what I was expecting. The acting was good, the writing was good, the directing was good, the atmosphere was good, but it just wasn't a Leprechaun movie like it sold itself to be.
I also looked at this movie as its own movie. I took the Leprechaun name off and just watched it for what it is, and if you can also do that then I give this movie a 2.97 out of 5 (not quite a 3). After all, the acting, writing, directing, and atmosphere were all good. It was a pretty fun movie to watch, and I recommend it as a rental.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
An Interesting Observation
Where am I going with this? Well I went to pick my kids up from school the other day and noticed that all of the other parents had their phones. Mine, of course, was in my pocket. Other parents had their phones in their hands. The phones weren't in use, and these people had pockets or bags that the phones could have been in. Instead, they all held their phones, gripping them tightly in their hands. I realized at this time that we are moving past the point where we need to be connected all the time and moving towards a point where technology is just a security blanket. I can only formulate the theory that these parents were comforted by their phones. Even when they are not in use, they had to hold them. This physical contact made them feel safe or perhaps grounded. I can't be certain, but I'm sure I'm close. I am putting together my first VLOG where I am going to mention this briefly.
I know this isn't a groundbreaking revelation by any means. We have all seen it. And it isn't just young people. Some of these were grandparents who couldn't put their phones down long enough to even take the hands of the children they were there for. I know plenty of older people who complain about the "younger folk" always having their phones, but I do see plenty of "older folk" who can't put their phones down either. As a techie, I really hope to see us break this stigma that we all have to have our phones. I also hope that we can turn away from the theoretical course I've described and break free of tech and connectivity and this security blanket that people are wrapping themselves in.
Technology is awesome! I love tech, but we need to control it without allowing it to control us.
Thanks for listening to another pointless rant.
-Linus
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Pumped about the 5th Annual NES Marathon! It starts today at noon PST, so don't miss it!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Mireside Hollow is out now!
If you are an affiliate of Smashwords, I am offering 40% on Mireside Hollow. I have another short story finished, but I'm not sure if I should release it soon or not. I think I'm going to let it sit for a month or two and go back through it. That really helped with Mireside Hollow, as there were a few things I changed that made the story much better.
In my personal life, I am thinking of returning to school for Biology. I know. I have a degree in Computer Networking, but recently (and maybe spurred on by some of my writing) I have found myself very interested in learning more about biology. I would probably focus on molecular biology. So I would be interested to hear any thoughts on that.
I think that is it for now. Remember to check out, Mireside Hollow on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. It should be available in a few other stores soon. Please tell your friends.
Thanks for reading
Linus
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Decay: Sequel and new Rot: Short Story!
My most recent short story, Mireside Hollow, will be available this friday, and is available now for preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. It is a horror story that follows a young man in the Mireside Mental Institute, but the criminally insane patients aren't the most dangerous beings in the asylum. Check it out this Friday!
I am also planning on doing a few reviews, I know I've been saying that, but I'm about ready to start. I just want to make sure the reviews I'm doing are going to be as original as I can make them.
Thanks for reading
Linus