The Darkest Hour

                                                                         

The other night, I was flipping through the cable channels and came upon a movie called The Darkest Hour. It’s a 2011 Russian-American science fiction thriller and it was awesome. The film was directed by Chris Gorak and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. This is an American based production and the story centers on several Americans who happen to be in Moscow for a business meeting, when the shit hits the fan. Talk about being at the wrong place and at the wrong time; there's a war going on.

                                                                        

 

No, we’re not talking “The Cold War” repeating itself between Russia and the USA. No we’re talking aliens; nasty aliens that disintegrate anything or anyone who comes close to them. They are what I would call “Energy Vampires” and they feed off the energy that people, animals, plants, cars, you name it; they eat it.

                                                                             

The film stars Max Minghella as Ben, Emile Hirsh as Sean, Joel Kinnaman as Skyler, Olivia Thirlby as Natalie and Rachel Taylor as Anne. They run through the streets of Moscow, trying to stay alive, which is kind of hard because the aliens are invisible.

                                                                  

But all is not lost. Sergei (Dato Bakhtadze) a Russian electrical engineer, has built a weapon that discharges microwaves. Yep it sort of works like the ones in our kitchens, but this weapon; kicks ass! With the help of some Russian police, they put the weapon to good use, but this is only the start of  a long war.
                                                                                 

 
If you have the chance to watch this little gem; do it. It's very good.
                                                                           

Good Cop Shows

                                                                             

 

Now that Bates Motel is on hiatus, I have time to watch two other shows.

                                                                      

Glades is a police drama series. Created by Clifton Campbell and staring Matt Passmore as Det. Jim Longworth, this show is very good. The plots are well written and have something for everyone; romance, crime and humor.

                                                                      

Det. Longworth left Chicago after being wrongly accused of sleeping with his captain. He moved to the fictional Palm Glade, Florida where he hopes to work at a more relaxed rate; wrong and he’s surprised at the high crime rate in southeastern Florida.

Matt Passmore is a cutie pie and he’s perfect for the role. He makes you care about his character and the other characters on the show.

Kiele Sanchez plays Callie Cargill, a single mother and Longworth’s love interest.

                                                                    

Carlos Gomez plays Dr. Carlos Sanchez, a forensic pathologist and Longworth’s suffering friend. Longworth drags this poor man into all kinds of situations.

                                                                          

Jordan Wall is Daniel Green, who works with Dr. Sanchez

Michelle Hurd is Colleen Manus- the boss who tolerates Longworth because he’s good at solving cases, but he drives her crazy too.

                                                                  

Uriah Shelton plays Jeff Cargill, Callie’s son.

My sister Lucy has been telling me to watch Longmire all year, but I never had time; my bad! This is another well written cop show which takes place in the fictional town of Absaroka County Wyoming.

                                                                         

The show is based on the Walt Longmire Mystery Novels by Craig Johnson and features Robert Taylor in the lead part.

The supporting actors are Katee Sackhoff who plays Deputy Vic (Victoria) a former Philadelphia homicide detective.

                                                                      

                                                                    

Lou Diamond Phillips who plays Henry Standing Bear, Cheyenne owner of the Red Pony Café and bar. He’s Longmire’s friend and advisor.

                                                                           

Cassidy Freeman plays Longmire’s daughter Cady. She works for a local law firm and is intimate with Branch.

Bailey Chase plays Branch Connally, the son of a very powerful and wealthy man. Branch is running for Sheriff, which puts fiction between him and Longmire.

                                                                     

Adam Bartley plays “The Ferg” hired because his father is friends with Longmire.

I’m sorry I took so long to watch this show, because it’s a good cop and western show.

Grimm, Season Finale

                                                                       

 

Say it isn’t so, Grimm has been zombified!

And Eric is taking him away from Juliette and his friends. The season finale was a shocker. Baron Samedi is using his Wesen powers to make zombies.

                                                                                  

Not the “Walking Dead” zombies, but Voodoo Black Magic zombies; not dead, but they sure are angry.

                                                                        

Rosalee and Monroe find a cure from one of the spell books in the Spice Shop and later bring back one of the victims. They need a lot of magic juice and Juliette wants to help.

                                                                     

But when they head out to fight the Baron and his zombies; there are too many. Nick is captured and put under the spell, and the zombified Grimm is taken away by Eric.

                                                                                

Will Monroe save Nick? Will Juliette and Nick ever get it on again? Will Nick star on season 4 of “The Walking Dead?

                                                                     

Adalind is having her own set of problems. Frau Peck and Stefania fight for possession of Adalind’s baby. Frau Peck takes on Adalind’s image only to be defeated by Stefania.

                                                                

Next week, Game of Thrones returns and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

                                                                       

Catching Up With Life

                                                                       

Hello to my blogger, twitter, Facebook and Google + friends and family

If you haven't noticed, I didn't post a new Lilith Escapes episode this past Friday.

Don't worry Lilith is doing fine and will return in a few weeks; the girl is a survivor has been since the beginning of time. But, I'm doing a project that begs my attention. In fact several projects.
                                                                           

                                                                       
I have the first of the trilogy novels in the hands of my editor, Patti O'Brien, a fellow member of the South Jersey Writers Group and a friend. I'm in the process of revising what needs to be tweaked and then off it goes; out into the publishing world, and hopefully, into your hand.


Beware the Harvesters is a paranormal/science fiction action romance. Emele is the main character; she doesn't know that she's Lilith until the end of book one.

Our writer's group is also preparing for another anthology. We need your help! check the link below to find out how you can help.


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/195597240/south-jersey-writers-group-2014-anthology?ref=email


Other News:

Two of my grandkids graduate High School this June. Annie is going to college and

Jimmy is healed and joining the Marines; he wants to be a State Cop when he's done serving.

My sister Jane ( the one that I've been trying to kill since the day she was born! Only kidding; I love her) Is visiting us this summer.

My ghost hunting friends and I are trying to start our own investigative group; "Purveyors of Spirits and Other Oddities". I'll let you know how this goes.

Game of Thrones and a Zombified Grimm

                                                                           

In my last post about Game of Thrones, I wrote about Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and how much I love this character. Last night we watched her work her magic again; she has a new admirer and supporter, Daario Naharis (Ed Skrein), a leader with The Second Sons, who eliminated his two comrades after they ordered him to kill Daenerys.

                                                                          

Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) was married to Sansa Stark (Sophia Turner); a forced marriage for both, but Tyrion was a gentleman and Sansa is still virgin.

                                                                              

Good thing too, because Sansa’s handmaid, Shae (Sibel Kekilli) would have killed him; Tyrion and Shae are lovers and soul mates.

                                                                      

                                           

Although Daenerys holds the title of “Kick Ass Heroine” there is a second runner up.

                                                                                  

 Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) a warrior and knight of the house of Tarth is charged with the chore of returning Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau safely to his home in exchange for the two Stark daughters, Sansa and Arya (Maisie Williams). Over time Brienna and Jaime form a friendship based on respect and understanding, but there might be feelings there that neither are aware of, yet.

                                                                               

 Last week, Brienne was in a fight for her life with a huge grizzly bear as entertainment for her captors, but Jaime risked his freedom and very life to go back and save her. Will respect turn to love? I would love to see Brienne and Jaime together.

                                                                       

Grimm

Season finale will have zombies and you know I’ll be watching the show. Baron Samedi (Reg E. Cathey) a Wesen creature known as a Cracher Mortel is using his lethal saliva to create an undead army.

                                                                               

 Grimm (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) need to fine the Baron and fast. While this is going on Rosalee (Bree Turner) and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) introduce Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) to the world of Wesen creatures. Make sure you watch this on Tuesday night on NBC at 10 p.m.

A Trip to Winterthur

                                                                              

On Wednesday, my two ghost hunting sidekicks and I decided to take a non-ghostly adventure to the beautiful Museum and Garden property of Henry Francis du Pont’s Estate of 175 rooms. Yes, you heard me right, Winterthur has 175 rooms. Can you imagine trying to find your way through that house.

                                                                              

 It would seem like the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We only got to see a portion of the estate; thank goodness or I would still be there. Mr. DuPont was a collector and he had a good eye for early American art and furniture.

                                                                  

The guided tour of the house took about an hour and I claimed two rooms as my favorite;

                                                                         

                                                             The Oriental Room  

                                                                

                                                                              Sunroom.

We weren’t looking for ghosts, but there were several areas where my friends and I felt them.

                                                                                

Remember even if the house is not haunted, possessions sometimes are. Whatever spirits were attached to the antique furniture were all friendly.

                                                                               

Now for just a few pictures of the garden that we were able to take before the skies opened up and almost washed us away. We will return to Winterthur!

                                                                             

                                                                                   

 

This picture is of a small area of the Enchanted Woods

Episode Sixty-six of Lilith's Escape

 

                                                                         

“Come to my office,” the commander ordered Edward and Scooter.

Edward wanted to have a moment with Lilith, but he was pretty sure the woman in front of him was not accustomed to waiting. So he followed her and Scouter down a dim lit hall way to where her office was located.

                                                                      

Ruth took her seat behind the desk and gestured for the men to grab the folding chairs against the wall. “You’re going into enemy territory tomorrow. Are you ready for this?” Ruth asked as she lit the tobacco in the pipe that she grabbed from the desk drawer.

                                                                     

Yeah, we’re ready to go,” Scouter replied. Edward nodded.

“I’ll have to say, the doc did a fabulous job on your face,” Ruth said to Edward.

“I’ll have to take your word on it, because I’ve been too busy to check in a mirror,”

“No, it’s good and the doc said that most of the swelling will be gone by tomorrow when you’re ready to start out.” Ruth leaned back in her chair and studied Edward as she puffed on her pipe. Edward felt like a bug under a microscope.

“How come the enemy doesn’t attack this place? They have to know that you’re here, am I correct?” Edward asked, hoping that she would stop staring at him.

                                                                 

“Oh, they know we’re here, alright,” she replied.

“So, why haven’t they attacked?”

“It might be better to just show you,” Ruth said, as she stood and placed her pipe into the china tea cup that now acted as an ashtray. “Come along boys, I ain’t got all day.”

As the men followed Ruth from the office, Edward asked Scouter, “Do you know what’s she’s talking about?”

                                                                      

Scouter nodded and said, “unfortunately.’  

Kids! What's the Matter with Kids Today?

                                                                            

Yes, the song is from Bye Bye Birdie and it’s as true today as it was when the musical came out in 1963.

 http://youtu.be/1wCXr_6wgns

Every time that I stop by my daughter’s house there’s never a dull moment. Today, I walked in as my daughter was asking the oldest of the desperadoes if he was taking her to the Mother and Son dance as part of his senior year graduation.

                                                                   

   

                                                                   “I don’t dance,” was his reply.

                                                                                      

                                                  “So, we’ll just go and hang out,” was hers.

                                                                                 

                                                                 “Nope!” he replied.

This went on back and forth for at least thirty minutes. Jimmy has given my daughter angst since he locked her out of the house when he was only two years old. Oh yeah, let me tell you about that. His brother Josh was only a few weeks old, and it was summer. Jimmy wanted the air conditioner on and he wanted to watch cartoon central (or something like it). ReRe wanted to do arts and crafts while infant Josh took a nap. She went out onto the porch to get the mail. What did Jimmy do?

                                                                    

                                                               

He locked the door; put on the air conditioner; put on the T.V. and made himself lunch. We’re talking only two years old.

The only reason my daughter was able to get into the house was because I had called from work and asked Jimmy to put Mommy on the phone. I wanted to take him to the park. When ReRe got on the phone and told me what he had done; I knew then that she was in for a ride of a life time. Believe me, Jimmy has perfected the art of driving his parents crazy, and I’ve had to talk his parents out of sending him to Military School many, many, times.

After thirty minutes of this back and forth, blah, blah, blah, I did what any grandmother would do; I reasoned with him, cajoled him and then finally threatened him. I would post baby pictures of him on my blog.

                                                                        

 

                                        Jimmy is taking his mother to the dance! Amen.