DVD Review: Quarantine 2: Terminal

Quarantine 2: Terminal is an action-packed thriller!

Best friends, Jenny (Mercedes Mashön) and Paula (Bre Blair) are stewardesses who prepare the plane for their passengers. As everyone embarks on the plane and settles in, the intrigue begins.

Co-pilot Willsy (Andrew Benator) has a cold, which he blames upon his dog. Preston (Lamar Stewart), a computer addict, has the sniffles and the movie sets you up with wondering who, between the two, is going to show symptoms of the virus first. If any of you watched the original Quarantine, then you will realize that the story is set during the same evening, hours after the apartment building has been quarantined.

With the anticipation building we learn of the other passengers on the plane.

They are heavy-set Ralph (George Back), who straps himself in with a seatbelt extender and asks for a beer; Henry (Josh Cooke), a teacher who is traveling with the class pet hamsters; the "mile-high" foreigners, Nicca (Erin Smith) and Hvorst (Tyler Kunkle); the pregnant couple, Nial (Phillip DeVona) and his wife, Susan (Julie Gribble); Louise (Sandra Lafferty) and her cat; Bev (Lynn Cole) and her invalid husband Doc (Tom Thom); Shilah the medic; and George the 13-year-old who is travelling back and forth between his parents.

One of the passengers becomes ill and demands to be let off the plane. From the moment they come storming down the aisle, all hell breaks loose and everyone is fighting to save their lives.

This is a very well-done sequel. It will make you jump, scream and your heart will be racing as zombies appear from nowhere and the frenzy their appearance causes will keep your adrenaline racing.

The makeup by Almost Human Inc.was exceptional. They really know how to paint up a zombie and their handiwork gives a creepy edge to the mutants.

There were a few issues with the directorion. Even though director John Pogue delivers the scares, the continuity of the story is often damaged with aspects of the film that make you wonder how and why certain things occur. Such as zombies grabbing hold of hand rails in order to run, how George got Henry's briefcase, the timing of the disease progressed quickly in some while in others it dragged as well, and it's not clear how some of the zombies got into the terminal when they are locked and barred behind a door. Though these incidents do occur, they do not damage the overall effect of the film.

The cast gave an amazing performance, especially Ignacio Serricchio, who was believable. As well, Mercedes Mashön's début as Jenny was above-board and between the two they brought an appeal to the characters that had you wishing for their survival.

The only other features included on the DVD were previews for upcoming movies. The run time is 86 minutes.

Article first published as DVD Review: Quarantine 2: Terminal on Blogcritics.

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

God And Stephen Hawking by John C. Lennox

SYNOPSIS:
It certainly is a grandiose claim to have banished God. With such a lot at stake we surely need to ask Hawking to produce evidence to establish his claim. Do his arguments really stand up to close scrutiny? I think we have a right to know. The Grand Design, by eminent scientist Stephen Hawking, is the latest blockbusting contribution to the New Atheist debate, and claims that the laws of physics themselves brought the Universe into being, rather than God. In this swift and forthright reply, John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and author of God's Undertaker, takes a closer look at Hawking's logic. In lively, layman's terms, Lennox guides us through the key points in Hawking's arguments - with clear explanations of the latest scientific and philosophical methods and theories - and demonstrates that far from disproving a Creator God, they make his existence seem all the more probable.

Read my FULL review at:

One Day At A Time

 ** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Catriona by Jeanette Baker

SYNOPSIS:
Kate Sutherland's arrival in the misty moors of her ancestral home in the Shetland Islands was supposed to cure her visions of danger, intrigue...and a sexy powerful Scottish border lord. Instead, she discovers that she's been living the tormented memories of Catriona Wells, a beautiful young woman of royal blood who lived five centuries before.

Shielding a dark secret from her past, Catriona was willing to do anything to save her young brother from the deadly politics of her royal family-even agree to an arranged marriage with the formidable Patrick MacKendrick. But would daring to love the hardened warrior who desired her so fiercely destroy her family... or finally allow her to heal?

Meanwhile, Kate is battling her own attraction to Niall MacCormack, an alluring Scottish historian. As the pull of history beckons, Kate has her own decision to make: choose the life and love of her present, or risk everything in Catriona's world of passion and peril.

Read my FULL review at:

One Day At A Time

 

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Trees Cry For Rain by Dr. Jeri Fink

SYNOPSIS:
The past crashes ruthlessly into the present in this gripping novel of betrayal. Rozas, a 15th century Secret Jew is tortured by the Inquisition - and linked, 500 years later, to four strangers in a Manhattan park.

Read my FULL review at:

One Day At A Time

 ** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! ** 

This Business Of Children by Chloe JonPaul

SYNOPSIS:
Vera Harriss, Deidre Fletcher, Mark Pettingill, and Stu Martel are elementary school teachers in the fictional town of Blevins, Maine whose secret, private lives change dramatically as you read. Vera, who is about to retire, vents her anger during a Board of Education meeting with a speech that brings the audience to its feet. Why does Deidre, an exceptional teacher, leave the job she loves to become a corporate trainer down South? Then there is Mark, the perennial job hunter looking for a corporate position with more prestige and pay but then turns down the perfect offer when it finally comes through. Stu, one of the most popular teachers in the school, struggles with a deep, dark secret that he can only share with Deidre. What causes Stu's untimely death? Vera Harriss, Dee Fletcher, Mark Pettingill, and Stu Martel are eager to share their intriguing secrets and entangled lives with you.

Read my FULL review at:

One Day At A Time

 

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Expiation by Greg Messel

Expiation is a romantic rekindling between high school sweethearts.

Dan was the All-American dream boy in high school.  Great at football, decent grades, popular, had a perfect girlfriend and great friends and family around him.  His plans included graduating high school, attending Berkley in San Francisco studying Journalism, working an internship for the Chronicle and marrying the girl of his dreams.

Katie was the All-American dream girl in high school.  She was a friendly, beautiful cheerleader and girlfriend to Dan.  She was going to go to school for a year in Seattle and join Dan after he got situated in San Francisco where they planned to build their future together.

However, the course that life flows had other plans and the two drift apart and marry other people and lead their lives separately.  On the day that Dan's mother dies, the two meet again after 30 years.  The sparks fly and the two try to determine what path their future shall take.  Will their love be rekindled so that the two can spend the rest of their lives together?  Or will the fates continue to keep them and their love apart?

I didn't mind this read.  I liked Katie and enjoyed reading about her.  She was personable, likeable and determined.  I wasn't as impressed with Dan however.  After leaving her with many promises, in which he continuously broke, he walks back into Katie's life with arrogance.  I didn't like how he spoke to her upon their first initial meeting.  He hasn't seen the woman in over thirty years and proceeds to oogle and salvitate over her.  It would make me uncomfortable to have a man talk to me in such a manner, especially one who left me without any explanations and a load of heartache.

I did like how Dan remembers the memory of his deceased wife, Wendy.  Even though he has always loved Katie, his memories and heartache are real and I was pleased to see this.  I also liked the interactions between Dan and his daughter, Vickie.

I felt that the dialogue was a bit cliched and would've enjoyed seeing something new and fresh in the handling of Dan and Katie's reunion.  I also thought having them meet again after 30 years at Dan's mothers funeral to be a bit tacky.

I liked the background history of events that occurred, such as the WTO protest that broke out in Seattle in the late 1990's or the Zodiac Killer which plagued San Fran in the 70's.  I equally enjoyed reading about the Y2K scare that folks were going through at the time of the books setting.  I never felt that Y2K would amount to anything and to see the panic mongers as they were written was comical to me.  I remember the talk at the time and many of the things shared were quite similar.

I found that the read was easy and the flow was great.  The editorial issues were infrequent and didn't hinder the read in any way.  If you are a romance reader and especially enjoy those stories about long lost loves, then this book will be enjoyable for all who read such. 

SYNOPSIS:
In 1968, Dan and Katie are one of the hottest couples at Ballard High School in Seattle. He is the hero football player, and she is the beautiful cheerleader. These high school sweethearts believe theirs is a love that will never die.

Life changes when Dan leaves Washington to start college at the University of California Berkeley and pursue his dream of working for a big time newspaper in the glamorous city of San Francisco. The quest for his dream occurs against the turbulent background of Berkeley and San Francisco in the 1970s as Dan and Katie go their separate ways.

Now, thirty years later, Dan is back in his hometown of Seattle attending his mother's funeral. He's never stopped thinking about Katie, his long-lost love. But the two former high school sweethearts reconnect in a most unexpected way as the rest of the world grows more fearful of Y2K and the dawn of the twenty-first century. They are hoping that their love, once lost, can now be reclaimed.

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Keep Your Panties Up And Your Skirt Down by Dangerous Lee

Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down is novella of six erotic tales of safe sex.

This book contains several short stories about safe sex amongst African American males and females.  This is an educational and informative book educating the masses about sex and how to have the kind of sex you like while practicing safety measures that will keep you clean and free from disease.  Each of the stories is shared in a compelling and thought-provoking manner bringing awareness to the practise of unsafe sex.

Some of issues expressed are HIV/AIDS and STD's as well as the dangers, perils and outcomes of situations involved with those who practice unsafe sex.  They are shared with the reader in an informative, instructional and easy going manner.  Each of the stories have a value attached to it and a morally engaging ending.

The stories expressed therein are written with compassion, belief and substance.  They are written to make you think, to reflect and also as a reminder to take each situation and experiment with caution and safety.  The definitions shared as well as the theories expressed are written in layman's terms so that all who read the stories have no reason not to understand the message being shared.

I thought this was a different approach to discuss the sexual practices of people these days.  The stories shared are sometimes erotic, sometimes comical but each has a message that the reader will be encouraged to practice.  Keep Your Panties Up was written with creative and engaging stories that truly educate the populace. 

The message "safe sex every time, all the time" should be practised by everyone involved in non-marital sex.  My favourite story was "Self Love and Pain", in which a woman falls in love with a man who has tested positive with AIDS.  After getting to know him and his situation, she decides that their love is all that matters.  Dangerous Lee shows us in her writing that you cannot become AIDS infected by kissing, touching or having unsafe sex.  If you take the precautions, two people can enjoy their lives and their love and live with AIDS.  It was beautifully and endearingly written. 

If anyone has questions or concerns about sexually transmitted diseases, then this book should be read and shared.  If it wasn't for the erotica aspect of the novel, I would suggest placing this in doctor's offices and school libraries.  However, the mindset is such that this aspect would be expressed and the true message of the stories lost in hypocrisy.  This is a must read book for all those who believe it couldn't happen to them as well as those just coming into the sexual scene. 

SYNOPSIS:
Six Erotic Tales of Safe Sex African-Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but they account for 50% of new HIV cases. Read this book for ideas on how to have kinky safe sex!

Titles: The Safe Sex Kit, Past Life Blues, Self Love and Pain, Elderly and Edible, An Honest Ho, Dating Dangerous Lee.

Also includes: HIV Fact HIV Fiction Definitions

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **