New bookclub/blog and bookreview City Under the Moon

Hey guys! I have set up a new blog solely for book reviews/recommendations and everything else reading-related. It's called the Bookworm Society and you can find it at: thebookwormsociety.blogspot.com. My first review is of Hugh Sterbakov's (Robot Chicken, Freshmen) City Under the Moon, a werewolf thriller of epic proportions!
Click on the link for the review, or continue reading here! Next time I'll only put up the Bookworm Society posts on that blog, so please check back there.

The story starts outside the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan where an ambassadors wife got brutally attacked and her baby has been stolen (or worse). The fierce, emotionless FBI Special Sgent Brianna Tildascow gets called out to take on the case. Quickly she finds out that this is not just an ordinary animal attack, but something far worse. The attack seems to have infected to victim with a virus that triggers something in the body, causing her to become a wolf-like beast who goes on the rampage. The victims start multiplying fast each night and soon Manhattan has a werewolf epidemic on their hands.

While Dr. Jessica Tanner, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and her viroligist husband start fighting over the nature of the virus, Lon, a geeky basement-dweller gets cut off from talking to his online girlfriend when his werewolf expertise gets called upon by none other than the government...

City Under the Moon is a fast-paced read. Every moment is utilised to it's full extend, every page is covered with werewolves, guts and action. Yet, it's not a lighthearted story full of fluffy werewolves that rip their shirts off, or even your usual anguished puberty-metaphor, it goes in deep and it goes in hard. Everything and everyone becomes involved, from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, the President, the Military, the FBI, a Romanian werewolf hunter with a tragic past and the irritating but lovable lycanthropy nerd Lon (after Lon Chaney Jr.) Toller who, despite not having the guts to meet his girlfriend in person, shows a hell of a lot of bravery when faced with disaster.

This story is so well written and planned out, it must have been a hell of a job to make sure everything is plausible and fits together. All the details make sense and seem extremely accurate. The governing bodies involved are written very realistically, Sterbakov has obviously done extensive research into the way things work and the methods that are available.

Sterbakov set out to write a story that portrayed the transformation as a werewolf to be far more frightening than being attacked by one and I think he managed that perfectly. The description of what happens to a person when they transform made my bones ache and my tendons recoil in horror. No thanks, I'd rather be ravaged by a werewolf (ooh err!) than become one myself.

If you like a good fantasy story packed full of action, gore, kick-ass female FBI agents (well, there is only one of those, but she sure counts for more than one woman), triumphing nerds and a President facing a terrible dilemma, this punchy, throat-grabbing book is for you.

I'm trying to come up with a rating system here, eeehmm, I give City Under the Moon five werewolves out of five!

Check out the official City Under the Moon website: http://cityunderthemoon.com/

You can follow Hugh Sterbakov on twitter here: @darhkhugh

Not had enough of the Sterbakov? Official website: http://hughsterbakov.com/

RECOMMENDED: Mystery Science Theater 3000

Ever end up cracking jokes with your friends because the movie you're watching is just too awful? I think many people who have watched a lot of films, have come across some really bad stuff, especially if you're interested in old sci-fi and horror, and what else can you do but turn it off or entertain yourself by making fun of the bucket of poopy you have been confronted with? Maybe you'd turn it off, but life isn't so easy for Joel or Mike.

Joel was the first victim of an evil scientist, he got sent into space and was forced to watch terrible movies. Troubled by his fate, Joel builds robots to keep him company and prevent him from going completely insane. Later on in, about five seasons on, the same fate befalls Mike, who gets pestered by Pearl and her two minions Brain Guy and Bobo (one of the most annoying chimps ever!) To make their punishment less agonizing, both guys end up riffing on the movies with their robot pals Tom Servo and Crow (there's also the derpy Gypsy and the very quiet but important Cambot).

At first, I mostly just enjoyed watching them tear down the movies, but gradually I came to like Mike (I haven't watched any of Joel's episodes yet) and the robots and enjoy their little segments in between the movie scenes, maybe even more so than the riffing. The jokes in the segments aren't always particularly funny, it's a little hokey and it's all got a very home-made feel about it, but that's exactly why it's so enjoyable. The banter between the robots and Mike is silly and endearing, you come to regard them as the go-to friends for when you're in the mood for a bad Star Wars wannabe film and it feels friendly and familiar every time you see them sat at the front in the ever recognizable sillouhette.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ended in 1999 but both formations have continued to take the mickey out of bad movies. Cinematic Titanic consists of most of the earlier cast, they seem to stick to the more traditional riffing of trashy horror flicks and you can also go see them live. Rifftrax is made up of Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy (the Crow and Tom Servo I'm familiar with) and besides a vast library of shorts, such as public service announcements, they also riff on more familiar movies such as Twilight and Transformers. So, always wanted to watch Twilight, but felt like you couldn't live with the embarrasment? Try downloading the Rifftrax version and play it along with the movie, guaranteed fun (and astonishment at just how bad the movie really is)!

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is really worth checking out if you have a big interest in movies, especially bad ones! Or if you love adorable robots! You know what it's like to watch a bad movie and be in stitches with your friends about it and you know you want more - check out Mystery Science Theater 3000!

DVD's are available from Shout! Factory and you can also download episodes to rent or buy on iTunes, Xbox Live and PSN. I'd recommend the third-rate Gremlins rip-off 'Hobgoblins' to start you off, or perhaps 'The Final Sacrifice', a cult-based 'thriller' that's guaranteed to have you cheering on the mighty beer-swilling Canuck RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOWSDOOOOOWERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! 

Mystery Science Theater 3000: https://www.mst3k.com/
Cinematic Titanic:                      http://www.cinematictitanic.com/
Rifftrax:                                     http://www.rifftrax.com/

MAKE-UP TUTORIAL: Draculaura from Monster High

Hey there! I've finally done a make-up video again. It's taken me some time, but it's a fun one, especially for all those Monster High and Draculaura fans out there. Please let me know what you think and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel! You can now also follow me on Twitter @MissDaiquiris.

GAME REVIEW: Crow for iPhone/iPad

Even though I love having an XboX, I tend to play a lot of games on iPhone, and most of them are fun to keep you occupied for a few minutes. But once in a while a game comes along that blows my socks off. 'Crow' by indie developer Sunside Inc. is one of those games. Straight from the intro, I was hooked.

The story goes as such: you're a crow and you're a minion of the Dark Lord. There's certain enemies he wants you to defeat for him. Meanwhile, as you're flying around, you collect tokens that let you buy certain powers, or protection. But it's not that straight-forward. There's choices to be made, you're not just a pawn for evil. The gameplay is very easy and intuitive, that's not to say the bosses don't get harder to defeat. I love the fact that you're actually playing as a crow. The way it moves and soars through the sky are so realistic, it's not hard to identify with the creature.

The visuals of the game are stunning. Even just flying around, high above the land, is a pleasure. I mostly just love the atmosphere of the game. It's dark, magical and I guess the best way I can explain it is, it is just such an immersive experience. It is more than just a game, it's a whole world, like stepping into a legend and becoming part of it. I'd say 'Crow' was possibly the best iPhone game yet. It's totally worth the $2.99 it costs.

Check out the trailer for a closer look:

REVIEW: Tiny Furniture

Aura has just graduated from college, her relationship is over and on top of all that she's moving back in with her mother and younger sister. She's in that awkward stage of life that so many girls find themselves in their early twenties. Not yet ready to really start on your own, too grown-up to make living with your family still work. Uncertain what to do with her life, what do with her newly acquired and potentially useless degree, not sure which people to be friends with. Even though the situation could be worse, it does lend itself perfectly to insecurity-fueled melodrama.

That combined with the movies' tagline "Aura would like you to know she's having a very, very hard time" had me slightly worried "Tiny Furniture" was going to be a Sylvia Plath-esque tale of self-pity. But instead, I was slowly drawn into Aura's life through her various awkward encounters, new-found friendships and clipped, dead pan conversations. It gives the viewer an intimate look into this girls' life for a couple of weeks and I started to recognize a lot of myself in her. Her non-perfect body, the odd and off-kilter friendships that seem to be built on a few weeks of intense bonding and then become uncomfortable and slightly unhealthy, her slight neuroticism, trying to decide whether you're still a child or an adult. I think every aspect will be very recognizable to a lot of people of Aura's age group.

"Tiny Furniture" was written and directed by Lena Dunham, who also plays the main character, after she found herself in the portrayed situation. Her mother and sister are played by Lena's real-life mother Laurie Simmons and sister Grace Dunham. This really helps making the interactions very natural and realistic.

I don't think "Tiny Furniture" will be to everyone's liking, but if you're one of those people who finds it hard to stop listening in on stranger's conversations, or if you like dead-pan humor of the likes of Woody Allen, it is worth a watch. Also, if you liked Tiny Furniture, check out the new HBO series "Girls", also written and directed by and starring Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke (Aura's friend Charlotte).

Lady Gaga - Pop Singers Don't Eat..

So, yesterday Lady Gaga sent a tweet that I just couldn't believe she actually pressed the send button on. Just to be clear from the start, I'm not a "hater".  At first I really liked her and I would like to continue being one of her fans, but it's these type of things she comes out with that just make me think she either doesn't care, doesn't have a single braincell in her pretty head, or she's just too up herself to realize the statements, one-liners and guru-esque wisdoms she is so kind to grace her little monsters with are just completely contradictory.

Here is the tweet I'm talking about:

https://twitter.com/ladygaga/statuses/189809689570189313

First of all, who really cares that she is eating a salad but dreaming of a cheeseburger? You're a grown woman, you've just been exercising your ass off, have a cheeseburger if you want one. I get that as a popstar, she wants to look good and that's fine. I think most people know that a body like hers doesn't just come naturally. Although, taking that into account, I don't see why the hashtag IWasBornThisWay makes sense. I was born what way exactly? I was born this way, but need to dye my hair, do back to back spinning classes and eat salads when I'm actually more hungry than that?

 But that's not really the worst. It's obvious she's decided to tout that phrase around as often as possible to be inspirational and alluring the her fan base which consists generally of outcasts. People who are in a vulnerable state, who feel insecure about themselves, their sexuality, looks, weight, and Lady Gaga is there as a friend, confidante and fellow societal pariah. She's someone they look up to, aspire to be like and want as a spokesperson. Now then, knowing what her fans think of her and want from her, it's even more grating when she uses this to end her tweet: #PopSingersDontEat.

Excuse me? Pop singers don't eat? That's a joke right? Even if it was a joke, has she no filter? No inclination in the back of her mind that this might come across wrong? Everyone, little monsters, accept who you are. You were born this way, you're perfect the way you are. But if you want to be like me, you have to starve yourself. You see, pop singers don't eat...

I can just imagine this thirteen year old girl or boy, recently rejected by their crush, feeling like they don't fit in, feeling like they're not pretty enough. Maybe once or twice they already even threw up after their lunch thinking it might make them skinnier, or at least not put on weight, so they can fit in with the popular crowd. But no, they turn to their hero instead. Lady Gaga will tell me I'm fine as I am. I don't need to be popular. I was born this way! I can just see that a tweet like that will push someone vulnerable right over the edge into a full on eating disorder.

But Gaga doesn't even seem to notice the misstep. She just tweets along happily, taking in all the compliments from her fans about how good she is for keeping in shape and how perfect she is. I'm just so fed up of her message of acceptance. She speaks about gay rights, yet the only gay people I've ever seen her around are stereotypical queens even Bubba from Texas wouldn't be too afraid of because they're just so cartoonish. She's against bullying, yet she's bezzies with one of the most foul, meanest assholes on the internet, Perez Hilton, who does what for a living? Oh yes! He bullies people, even 2-year olds can't escape his venom. (Here's Adam Sandler's little daughter being attacked: http://perezhilton.com/2007-07-02-how-do-we-say-this-delicately-3#.T4dMfNWyics) She talks about accepting yourself for who you are, yet if you compare photos of her from before she was famous the difference is pretty staggering. And what I think is the most ridiculous of all is her constant praising of Jesus. If she had any idea of what Christianity was actually about, I think she'd be embarrassed to profess her love for him in front of an audience like hers.

It seems to me like she was one of those girls who was unpopular in high school, bullied and did everything she could to get in with the popular kids. So she bleaches her hair, dresses like a hooker and giggles along with their petty little put-downs and tries her hardest to conform to what they say is "cool". While, when she's around her old friends she claims to still be one of them. Only difference is, is that now she's in showbiz it's not the gum-chewing bimbos that rule the school, it's rich, gay men who want a barbie doll to play with.


In summation, I just hope she grows up and quits the bullshit. Pick a side. Either be religous, hang out with bullies and give a nice big finger to your devotees or stick to your original story and really make it ring true. But for some reason, I just don't see that happening until she gets her head out of her ass and realizes that she isn't a messiah.

MOVIE REVIEW - The Kid (1921)

I'm fairly new to the world of silent cinema. I had seen a few shorts before, some Laurel and Hardy sketches mostly and the classic horror movie 'Nosferatu', but Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' made me fall in love with the media. Because I was only familiar with silent slapstick and horror, I never realized before that this form of old-fashioned film-making would be so well suited to bringing a touching story to life. I love how Chaplin mixed hilarious comedy with romance and sentimentality. The Tramp is immediately likeable and you want him to succeed in his efforts, whether he's trying to get a girl or bringing up a little boy as his own, you're there with him all the way.

The Kid was Chaplin's first feature length film and was extremely well received. It follows The Tramp as he finds an abandoned baby and tries to figure out what to do with the boy. He decides to raise him as his own and names him John. Because he's so poor, he works together with John in little schemes to earn money. When the boy becomes ill, a doctor finds out that The Tramp isn't his real father and has John taken away to an orphanage. Distraught, The Tramp pursues them to try and get his son back. Meanwhile, the woman who left the baby has become a big star and uses her wealth to do charity work helping the poor.

The Kid, as it says at the start of the film, is a picture with a smile and perhaps a tear. The relationship between The Tramp and his adopted son is very sweet and touching. They struggle, but you can tell that he really cares for the boy. I think the choice of subject, a childhood filled with poverty and hardship, was a very personal one for Chaplin. This was his first full length film, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in and you can really feel all the effort he has put in it. The story sparks off the screen. The jokes are hilarious, bright and light-hearted despite the desperate situation, but the emotional scenes just tear right into you. A lot of credit is due here for the young Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester in the 1960's Addams Family t.v. show). He's such an excellent actor in this movie. He's endearing as the little rascal that he is, but when it comes down to the more emotional parts in the film, like when he gets taken away, his performance is just heart-breaking. The interaction between the Tramp and John seems so realistic, it's hard to believe that they're not really father and son.

What I think is so special about Chaplin's films, is that The Tramp always goes through a sort of transformation. Or it's more a realization and testing of his true character. For example, John gets into a fight with a bigger boy and the other boys father threatens The Tramp that if John wins, he himself is gonna have to fight this much bigger and burlier man. So, instead of letting his boy win (which he was totally going to), The Tramp holds down his son in order to prevent himself having to get into a fight. Beside this being a really funny scene, it's also a pivotal point in the plot that shows how much The Tramp hates to fight, making it all the more heroic when he does so to win his son back.

I've only seen three of Chaplin's films so far, (the Kid, the Circus and City Lights) but I'd say this was probably my favourite. It's nice to see The Tramp try his hand at romance, but a father-son relationship is a much more difficult thing to get right and he succeeded with excellence. I know that silent films are back into fashion a bit now, with 'The Artist' having done so well, so hopefully more people are willing to check out older movies. I used to think that silent movies would be harder to get into because of their lack of dialogue, but I think that that's exactly why a story can hit you so much harder. You pay more attention to the surroundings, to the physicality of the acting and the interactions between the actors. More often than not the music is enough to convey the mood and with great performances like in 'The Kid' you don't even notice the fact that they aren't talking, because like they say, a picture paints a thousand words. Even if you're not certain you'll be able to get into silent film but you're willing to spend an hour finding out, check out The Kid. (Make sure you watch a remastered copy, it'll look great.) It's not just one of my favourite Charlie Chaplin movies, it's probably one of my favourite all together.