Movie Review: JUNGLE

 JUNGLE
Staring Daniel Radcliffe, Alex Russell
Director: Greg McLean
Writers: Justin Monjo (Screenplay), 
Based on a True Story
Action / Adventure
115 Minutes 
2017

It is the early 1980s. Yossi Ghninsberg (portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe) meets Karl Rupretcher (Thomas Kretschmann). Karl convinces Yossi that there is greater adventure than the normal tourist traps.He claims he can lead Yossi through the Amazon rain forest where they will encounter rare Indigenous tribes no other tourists ever see, but that he is friends with. Karl also promises that the stream beds are filled with gold.

Yossi convinces his "friends," guys he recently met, to join him. Kevin Gale (Alex Russell) is a professional hiker and photographer, and Marcus Stamm (Joel Jackson) is a school teacher. They are mildly reluctant, but agree.

Despite Karl being a total stranger, they Yossi knows this will be the adventure of a lifetime. Yossi has dreamed of this kind of journey all of his life. A chance to do something different. His father never understood his free-spirited lifestyle. Something like this would change things. And he so wants to believe Karl is on the up and up.

The school teacher is struggling. The days of hiking takes a toll. His feet are covered in blisters. The jungle is an unforgiving place for those not prepared for several rounds with nature, poisonous insects, and deadly beasts.

Quickly the three friends discover hidden truths about their guide, and their chance for survival in the jungle is cut in half. Tension. Suspense.

The acting is very good (although I am not a fan of Radcliffe's Israeli accent). The dialogue is crisp. You grow to like the three friends, and you just are never sure about Karl. For a nearly two-hour movie, the time goes be fast. There is a lot happening, even when it doesn't seem like a lot is going on.

Radcliffe carries the movie. When his character, Yossi, is separated from the others, he wanders through the jungle looking for a way out. Plagued by delusional visions, faced with harsh weather, and tasked with surviving in the wild. Pretty intense!

I did some research on the actual adventure. Yossi has been through a lot. I am glad they made this journey into a film. I liked it very much, unsettling as it was. 

TRAILER for JUNGLE

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the Amazon Best-Selling adventure novel, BLOOD RIVER

Book Review: THE RAINS, by Gregg Hurwitz

Gregg Hurwitz
THE RAINS
Tor Books
YA / Apocalypse / Science Fiction

I have read many thrillers by best seller, Gregg Hurwitz. Tight chapters packed with intense action, crisp dialogue, and characters that you give a damn about. When I saw that Hurwitz was taking a swing at something in the Young Adult field, I was anxious to see what he'd do.

And what he did was, THE RAINS. It is NOT just another zombie book. Trust me.

The plot focuses primarily on three kids. Chance and Patrick Rain, and Patrick's girlfriend Alex. On a midwest farm in Creek's Cause, Somewhere USA the two brothers, raised by their aunt and uncle, realize something is wrong.

After a meteor crash . . . they call it the Dusting. Spores filled the air. Those over eighteen were immediately affected. Their appearance altered. Holes bore through the center of their heads. If only that was the worst of it. The people infected became crazed. Violent. And they wanted one thing . . . to gather up all of the kids eighteen and under.

Chance has always looked up to his big brother Patrick, and for so many good reasons. But when the three of them hole up in the high school with a group of survivors, a small group of kids who were able to escape the clutches of the things outside locked doors, he knows it is time for him to grow up and get things done.

The creatures that once were neighbors of the Rains are walking every inch of the land, as if mapping the terrain. Others gather any and all weapons only to destroy them. And then, even more of these mind-controlled beings concentrate on the crating and hauling away all of the children.

When Patrick is near death, and Alex is taken by the invaders, Chance steps up his game. Bites back his fear, and sets out to rescue his brother's girlfriend. Chance knows he has a responsibility to those inside the high school, and an obligation to his brother. He vows to bring Alex back.

Doing his best to remain undetected, but having to fight off hordes of drones to stay alive, Chance learns a truth about the aliens that is more than he can stomach.

They have a leader. A Queen. And the Queen has grotesque plans for the bodies of the kids.

Thump. Squelch.

Is there any way Chance, Patrick, and Alex can save themselves? What about saving Creek's Cause? How about saving earth? It just can't be possible. There isn't a chance . . . or is there?

You have to love Hurwitz. The writing is taut. No words wasted. He grabs readers at page one. He holds their attention, grows their interest, and promises an extraordinary journey. And then he delivers. So what's not to love? Best I can tell from the last page of the book --there may be another in the works. LAST CHANCE? One can only hope!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of The Severed Empire Series,
and the Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: DARK GODS OF ALTER TELLURIA - Barton Paul Levenson

Barton Paul Levenson
DARK GODS OF ALTER TELLURIA
Barking Rain Press
Fantasy

Barton Paul Levenson's DARK GODS OF ALTER TELLURIA is a taut, tense fantasy thriller. Levenson wastes little time getting into the meat of the tale. We're quickly introduced to college professor, Milo Standford. The astrophysicist believes he has it all. A wonderful woman, a job he enjoys . . . the world in his pocket. That is, until he receives devastating news and wonders off during a bizarre thunderstorm.

In an almost Wizard of Oz fashion, Milo wakes up in another realm. Perhaps one parallel to our own. Modern technologies do not exist. He is inside a castle, where Sania, Mistress of Lake Gulia rules at Highview Castle. Perceived as an interesting character, and immune to Sania's rituals, the Mistress spares Milo's life.

Mingling with the scholars of the realm, Milo proves himself worthy, making Sania . . . happy she had not killed him.

It isn't long before things get turned around again. Just when Milo began adopting to the new world, accepting his life, his role in the unknown universe, an evil wizard abducts the Mistress. All hope is lost, chaos ensues. Only Milo can save Sania!

Despite his initial put-offish mannerisms, Milo resigns to the role of hero. With so many odds against him, Milo fears the rescue mission is so impossible that not only might he fail attempting to save Sania, but could he also lose his own life trying?

Levenson has crafted a fast-read story. It is both engaging, and entertaining. The plot is solid, and the characters believable. The dialogue is nicely done. The novel is nicely paced, and the action peppered in perfectly! DARK GODS OF ALTER TELLURIA was well worth the read!

Phillip Tomasso,
Author of The Severed Empire series, and
The Vaccination Trilogy