Ummm so yeah. I watched this Tuesday. It was slow at work and we were bored. Heh.

I was looking forward to this one. The previews looked good. Cuba’s a pretty good actor. It had Hellboy in it for god’s sake! Surely it had to be good right?

Eh.

I don’t know what’s happened with Cuba Gooding, Jr. It seems like ever since the “Daddy Day Camp” debacle he just can’t get any decent movie roles. He’s still a pretty good actor I think. But even great actors can’t do much with shitty story lines. This one wasn’t all that bad. I’ve seen much, much worse. It started out interesting. I wanted to know more of what was going on. Unfortunately the entire movie dragged out and never did get to the good stuff until the very end.  Ok so I love LOVE researching the nephilim.

For those of you who don’t know what the nephilim are…. you’re probably either:

1. A Christian who apparently doesn’t know the bible as well as you claim to.
2. A non-christian who doesn’t care what the bible says. OR
3. A non-christian like me who loves researching all types of religion. Fascinating isn’t it?

Anyways, this movie is supposedly about an underground system of caves where nephilim were found. The group of priests doing work here had some weird shit happen and the military is called to come in with a scholar and see what’s going down.

Enter Cuba as the leader of the special forces squad who goes in.  Right away they run into some people with funky ass boils? burns? something on their bodies. It really looks like a huge cheesy pizza exploded and the tomato sauce and cheese is stuck to them. Kinda funny actually. Oh and they have a bad habit of spitting what seems to be a mix of thin motor oil and grape kool-aid at everyone. Oh and they don’t die. That about covers it.

I don’t want to tell you the entire movie here folks. But if you enjoy B-film cheese flicks you’d probably like this one. As I said, it wasn’t horrible. But I was just looking for more I guess. I wanted more nephilim, more mystery, more of something that this movie obviously didn’t have much of. Really… if you’re going to call a movie “Devil’s Tomb” can’t we at least have a little more?

Can I just tell you how much I love… LOVE LOVE this series? I used to say that the Anita Blake series were my favorite. Then I found JR Ward. Not that I don’t still hold Laurell K. Hamilton as one of my favorites, but lets face it…. the last few Anita books have a lot of great sex, but not much storyline.

JR Ward’s “Black Dagger Brotherhood” series is such an awesome mix of plot, sex, anger, love, excitement, danger, etc etc. To put it simply – THEY ROCK.

With that said, let me get to the latest in the series. If you’ve ever read any of this series, you know that each book tells the story of one brother with snippets from the whole gang thrown in.

What is a ‘brother’ you ask? No they’re not physically brothers, but are members of an elite fighting branch of the vampire world. They train and join the ‘brotherhood’ to fight beings called ‘lessers’ that are soul-less killers who seek to kill all vampires. (In these books vampires are pretty much good-guys who also protect humans from the lessers who don’t care who they kill.) The books really explain all of this completely so I won’t get into it all here.

This follows that same pattern and tells the story of Rehvenge (while not a brother, he plays an intricate part). Ok Go ahead and laugh at the name. When I first found this set and read the back flaps to my BFF in all the land she almost pissed herself from the names used. Yeah, names like Wrath, Rehvenge, Rhage, Phury,Tohrment, etc. And no I don’t suck at spelling. They’re meant to be that way.

Yes, my BFF laughed and laughed and poked fun at me for reading this stuff. Then I sent her one of the books to read.  She ordered the entire set from her bookclub immediately. Then I laughed and laughed at her. Hehe. It was glorious.

Anywho…. Rehvenge has had a little airplay in previous books but this book did an excellent job of really sucking you into his character and those around him. While his story is carrying on, the back stories of the lessers and of John Matthew move like a strong, steady wave. I can feel the storm building with the underlying storyline and I cannot WAIT for the book where it explodes. Maybe the next one? I dunno. If so I hope it doesn’t end the series.

There is sex. Oh yes. The great thing is that you’re so engrossed in the story that it really plays an intricate but not-s0-important part in the books. It’s like eating a really sweet cake where every once in a while you bite into a plump, juicy strawberry. It doesn’t make the rest of the cake any less fabulous, but man oh man is that big bite of berry something special.

If you haven’t read any of this series……. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Get out there and buy these books. Start with the first one. Trust me, you want to.  Here they are in order for ya to find:

1. Dark Lover (story of Wrath)
2. Lover Eternal (story of Rhage)
3. Lover Awakened (story of Zsadist)
4. Lover Revealed (story of Butch)
5. Lover Unbound (story of Vishous) MY FAVORITE SO FAR
6. Lover Enshrined (story of Phury)
7. Lover Avenged (story of Rhevenge)

Get them. You won’t be disappointed. I promise you.

That is all.

This is the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse (book 9) series.

I was REALLY excited to get this one in the mail as I tend to really enjoy this series. Right off the bat I was a little disappointed at how small the book was. I mean this one seemed TINY. I was hoping that with all the new interest generated from the True Blood show that the newest book would be even bigger with a lot more happening.

Not so my friends.

While the book was just as entertaining as the others and definitely worth reading…. I hate to say that I finished this all in a single night. I was happy when the book started dealing mainly with Sookie’s fae heritage… but then was again disappointed when the events happening were just rushed through. There wasn’t much background or ‘color’ put into the fairy characters and I felt a little slighted at that. Surely a little more interaction and detail wouldn’t have hurt!

I’m not sure what happened. Maybe Charlaine Harris has a lot going on with the tv series and just didn’t have the time to make this one longer. At the price paid for this book though….. I sure hope the next one has more beefiness to it. Otherwise I’ll start to think that they’re purposefully being made small to get more profit from multiple books. And that just sucks, especially with the fact that budgets are tight.

Please please Mrs. Harris……. next time give us more bang (or fang) for our buck!

This is the latest book (book 4) in Dean Koontz’s “Odd Thomas” series. I have really enjoyed this series of books.

The main character, named Odd Thomas of course, is such an interesting man. The stories are about his life which is highly unusual as a result of his being able to see and interact with ghosts. He is ‘drawn’ to places where he is needed to help someone having no knowledge of what he’s supposed to be doing. This character is amazingly simple in his way of living but is also extremely complex in his emotional and mental capacities. This is one dude that I wish was real and could spend time with. Hehe.

If you like reading books that draw you into characters and surprise you these are a good choice. They deal enough with the supernatural to keep you thinking but aren’t so heavy into things that people will get scared off. I read a lot of paranormal romance books, and in between those I like to have what I call ‘filler’ pieces. These usually consist of regular fiction, chick lit, or books like this. It’s a nice, shallow dive into the paranormal for those unfamiliar with these types of things or wanting to get into science fiction but are a little worried they won’t like the genre. Or if you just want a filler like me!

So far this book isn’t disappointing, but I’ve just started it and it’s still getting going. Final results yet to come!

I usually try not to put big pictures up. I know some of you out there are like me and have computers from the dinosaur era. I apologize my friends, but I must MUST post the heavenly gift that is my favorite new shower gel. I recently discovered this little merriment of wonder while rummaging through the ‘free’ (Free my ass…. I had to pay an extra 15 bucks for it!) VIP bag that came with my purchases from Christmas time. I’m a sucker for smell goodies so I thought, “Hell yeah, I’m gonna try this shit. I need some stress relief.”

Can I just say that if, in fact, I would wear panties in the shower they would have been creamed from the amount of joy that emanates whilst using this body wash. Look at how much just thinking of it is forcing me to use an over abundance of adjectives with a stupid fervor. MY GOD IT IS TAKING OVER MY MIND.

OK, so the scent is called “Stress Relief” and is an intoxicating mix of eucalyptus and spearmint. You can find it at Bath & Body Works for around 13 bucks. This stuff is so chocked full of awesomeness that even when allergies have clogged my nose, just showering is enough to open my nostrils and give me that ‘cool fresh’ feeling in the nose, just like breathing in while sticking your head in the open freezer. Don’t act like you haven’t done it. I know you have. It’s strong enough to cling lightly to your skin even after you dry off but not so strong as to make you feel like bees are about to attempt pollinating your pores.

I use this at night if I need to wind down before bedtime and in the morning if I’m feeling really sluggish and want that nice, bright awake feeling. I know it sounds odd to use it both for relaxing and for feeling fresh and awake but it really does pull off this double duty nicely.

For those of you wanting to try it out but don’t have a physical Bath & Body store nearby, you can pick it up on the website and usually there is some kind of special or deal going on. (Right now it’s 2 for $20, mix or match). I think for my birthday I’m going to treat myself to some body lotion and pillow mist in the same scent. I love it just that much.

If you’ve got a personal favorite and want to share please let me know! I’m always looking for the next heaven in a bottle.

So it was with a heavy heart that I brought this home after work last night… it was our only new release still in.

Now then… with that said I wanted to tell you folks that this movie was actually pretty good. Zooey Deschanel is always a refreshing actress to watch and she added a real minty-fresh zip to the movie. (For some reason she really reminds me of those York Peppermint patties commercials…. no clue why.) What I really liked was the fact that Carrey didn’t spend the entire movie making faces like a five year old and acting stupid. There were still a few brief flashes, (no I’m not talking about the flashing of his pastey white ass, but you’ll get that in this movie too) but nothing like his usual stuff. If any one person in the history of the world should have been told about making faces and getting hit on the back at the same time…. it should have been this dude. (Can’t you just imagine him with one of those classic Carrey faces, wondering the streets like a rebel troll trying to eat small children? Or is that just my personal nightmare?)

Most of the other characters were pretty enjoyable as well. Danny Masterson is always fun to watch and brings back memories of That 70′s Show, (which was always good for quite a few laughs.) So check this one out if you like comedy and have nothing to do one night. Not as good as some of the other new ones out there…(I personally liked Big Stan better), but still good for some laughs.

Heh. That’s right. I did it. I not shame!!! Phew got ghetto there for a second.

SO! The iVibe egg is from Doc Johnson and has 5 different “settings” that are:

1. Regular Vibration (standard continuous vibe) (Alright let’s do this thang!)
2. Pulse (quick bursts) (Eh… it’s ok.)
3. Surge (2 quick bursts with a 3rd longer vibe) (Whooooooo!!!)
4. Escalate (starts weak and gets stronger.. repeats) (Gettin there… GETTIN THERE… damn. It’s gone.)
5. Roller Coaster (strong then weak, alternating) (I wanna find the theme park with THIS ride heh.)

This toy is pretty ok by me, but the bullet itself is a little small for my tastes and tends not to stay in the right spot with the vibrations. (I don’t think duct tape can work in this situation.)  The regular pulse is not quite as strong as the plain old one-trick pony bullets, but is a good bit quieter.

By far my favorite is the surge… for me it’s the only one that produces the good ole’ leg quakin achin. heh.

Give it a try if you have some extra cash to blow and need something quieter or like smaller bullets. If you’re looking for power and don’t care about who knows it I might would look around for something else. If you find it lemme know. *wink* The store I work in also has adult novelties and gag gifts so I’ll probably be posting some cool stuff that comes in from time to time. Woohoo! Ain’t it fun to be freaky?

You know, working at the video store I usually read or hear about movies before they come out… even if they’re small releases. However I had NEVER even heard of “Big Stan” before it came in. I found that a little odd seeing that Rob Schneider is a pretty well known actor. I thought to myself, “Man this movie has got to really suck!” because there was no advertisement that I saw and no “pushing” of it in the media.

Still, I’m a comedy queen and so when one was left on the shelf at closing I took it home hoping that it would be somewhat decent.

WOW did I really enjoy this movie. A lot of people are probably going to dislike it but I was laughing my ass off. Rob Schneider did an excellent job and seeing David Carradine do comedy is usually good for a chuckle. The whole premise of the movie is simple….

1. Stan (Schneider) gets convicted of fraud but has 65 days to get orders in affair before going to prison.
2. Stan is scared of being raped. So his mission before prison is to become “Unrapeable”.
3. Stan finds “The Master” (Carradine) to teach him.
4. Stan goes to jail.
5. Hilarity commences.

If you like comedy and you don’t mind some goofiness thrown in… give this one a try. I am really digging the movies that Rob Schneider has done and I’m thinking he’s a pretty underrated actor who is slowly sneaking up from behind. I can only WISH that they would take his “Ula” character and make a spin-off from “50 First Dates”. For anyone who hasn’t seen that movie… CHECK IT OUT. It was a must see.  And also gives you a classic line that I use often with friends….”Shaaarks. They only bite when you touch their private parts.”

The newest Adam Sandler movie is from Disney and is a family comedy called “Bedtime Stories.”  If you watch it as a family comedy, it was pretty good. Just watching it as a comedy though, I was a little dissapointed.

The movie is about a guy named Skeeter (Sandler) who’s father raised the kids in a hotel and had lots of adventures using his imagination as a kid. He grows up working in the same hotel and hoping that one day he will have a shot of running it. The kids in the story are his neice and nephew, who he has to take care of for a week.  The bedtime stories he tells the kids start coming to life and comedy ensues. (Ok I haven’t told you the movie, you can gather this much info from watching the previews.)

Anyway, the movie was entertaining but was definitely geared more towards the kids as one would expect from a Disney comedy. The funniest parts for me was finding the expected cameos from characters like Rob Schneider and Allen Covert. I especially liked the part where Rob Schneider pops up (as Chief Running Mouth no less…… hahaha)  and they pay homage to “The Waterboy” (which is one of my favorite Sandler movies). Keep your eyes open for it!

My favorite character from the movie though was hands down Bugsy! This little guinea pig with bulging eyes was too cute. I can practically see the spin-off movie for Bugsy… especially after seeing the previews for G-Force that was on this disc. They did a good job sticking him in the movie as most of the facial expressions were priceless.

Lastly……. a surprise for me was seeing Lucy Lawless.  I mean come on people…. how can you NOT love Xena, Warrior Princess in anything she does??? ALELELELELELELE!!!!!!

All in all…… I’d say 3 out of 5 stars.

Trent DOES make an appearance, but not much of one. But the brief appearances he makes in the end leaves quite a bit of openings for story lines down the road and I can’t wait to see what comes from that. I’m also looking forward to reading what’s going to happen with Ivy in the next book. She ends having quite a bit of anger and regret (of course… isn’t that Ivy in every book? LOL) and it can only bring her and Rach closer I hope.

All in all…….. another nice one that makes me want the next in the series NOW. Good job Kim Harrison, good job.