Movie Review: FROZEN

FROZEN
Director / Writer: Adam Green
Starring: Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers
Adventure / Drama / Thriller
March 2010 / 93 mins
Streaming: Hulu, Tubi

I was a bit pessimistic about watching a movie that takes place on a ski lift. I wondered how intense, how interesting, could such a film be?

Let me tell you what, FROZEN is very intense. Very interesting. It was actually frightening. I found myself almost immediately on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

The plot is simple. Three skiers convince a ski lift operator to let them make one last run down the mountain. Thing is a storm is on the way in. The resort is shutting down for the next few days. The lift operator thinks he sees the last three skiers make their way down the mountain and past him, and shuts the lift.

Only problem is, they were the wrong three skiers. Our three were still on the lift, halfway up the mountain. With the storm making its way in, they are trapped a few hundred feet above the ground. There is no cell service in the remote area (of course). The elements, wolves, and a need to survive cause the three to make difficult decisions.

They have to make difficult decisions because if they just sit stagnate for the weekend they will surely freeze to death.

This is NOT Disney's FROZEN. This is a mighty taut thriller that no one should miss!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the crime thriller YOU CHOOSE

 

Book Review: STRANDED - Bracken MacLeod

Bracken MacLeod

STRANDED

Tor / A Tom Doherty Associates Book

Horror

Bracken MacLeod’s STRANDED is a Twilight Zone novel. Rod Serling would be proud.

The Artic Promise is on a routine trip. The ship is stocked with food and supplies for an oil rig, Niflheim, in the Chukchi Sea. A brutal storm pounds the vessel, leaving the ship without communications, and once the storm passes, they find they are beset with ice.

Noah Cabot signed on with the crew. Working the sea was the way his family made a living for generations. The problem with this particular trip is that is father-in-law is in charge. William Brewster would like nothing better than to see his son-in-law dead.

Things only get worse when one-by-one the members of the crew come down with a debilitating illness. With limited supplies, and no way to signal for help, if they don’t come up with a plan quick, they could die. If they didn’t starve to death the below zero temperatures would kill them for sure.

In the near distance is an object. It could be the Niflheim. There’s only one way to find out. Volunteers will need to trek across the ice and investigate.

STRANDEDis gripping. The icy Arctic cold made me shiver while reading it. Hot coffee, or hot coco is strongly recommended reading the book. I don’t know how many times I had to cup my hands together and blow into them, just because I thought the frostbite might be getting me.

Noah’s back story is intense. The unexpected twists, and the proposed resolutions kept me flipping pages faster and faster. The climax seemed to last for chapter after chapter. There was no break in the tension. None. I read this fast, and am disappointed I finished. I want more.

Phillip Tomasso

Author of The Severed Empire Series, and 

The Vaccination Trilogy

Book Review: THE FINEST HOURS - Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman

THE FINEST HOURS Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman Scribner Book Company Non Fiction Shipping companies put profits before the safety of the men on the vessels. The T2 Tankers were made with inferior materials, and welded instead of riveted. These ships were KNOWN to split in two. Wait, what? That's one of the most unreal facts I learned from reading The Finest Hours. While the main focus in this particular story is about 2 different T2 Tankers splitting in two during a storm in New England in 1952, (this is at nearly the exact same time, close to within hours of each other, these two ships split in two). The book gives countless examples of T2 Tankers cracking in half during storms over the course of decades. The shipping companies knew there was a possibility of it happening, as did the crews that worked on the ships. That is just mind blowing. In The Fines Hours, however, the primary tale is on the Fort Mercer and the Pendelton. It is February 18, 1952, and a brutal storm is stalled over the Atlantic. During the early hours of the morning, the relentless waves and swells of the sea have severed both ships in half. Crews are split between the bow and stern, (front and back). And now four parts of two ships are in need of rescuing. The Coast Guard receives the distress calls, and set out to attempt saving men in the midst of a raging hurricane. The water is like ice. The snow is falling. The waves pass over the top decks of the ships. The action is none stop. The heroics are amazing. The Coast Guard captains, and crews refused giving up, and with small ships (that seemed like something just larger than a rowboat when compared to the size and crew size of the tankers), believed they could do the impossible and rescue those stranded on the different halves of the two ships. The story is emotional. The rescues daring. I loved every word. And I never, NEVER read non-fiction. I believe that both Micheal J. Touglas and Casey Sherman authored a taut (less than 200 pages) book that deserved to be made into a movie. The movie comes out next weekend. Because of this book, I am going to see it -- although, I can't imagine the big screen matching the words and descriptions painted by these authors, which allowed me to already view the story with my own imagination. In short, loved it! Phillip Tomasso, Author of the Severed Empire Series Wizard’s Rise

Wizard’s War

Queens of Osiris

Book Review: BATTLEFRONT (Twilight Company / STAR WARS) - Alexander Freed

BATTLEFRONT: Twilight Company (Star Wars) Alexander Freed Del Rey/Lucas Books Science Fiction While I have read wonderful books by first time authors, I don’t think I can recall ever having read a better first novel than Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company, by Alexander Freed. The complex plotting, the in-depth cast of characters, the constant action, and the overall authentic Star Wars feel . . . simply amazing. Top-notch! The more Star Wars books I read, the more common it is to have main, or secondary characters that are stormtroopers. We saw this human-quality with Finn in The Force Awakens. It is an aspect of the saga that I think a lot of people/readers forget, and writers neglect. Freed incorporates a minor character, Thara Nyende (SP 475), in Twilight Company. I would not have minded even more of her story. Perhaps in a future book we will see her again. Captain Howl runs a team known as Twlight Company, a rag-tag group of Marine-like volunteers who joined the rebellion with hopes of crushing the Empire. After acquiring Governor Everi Chalis, once part of the Empire’s elite, the rebellion sets out on a series of attacks meant to cripple, as well as mislead the Empire. Namir is in charge of a small team of rebels. Friends. They’ve been through a lot. The challenges ahead are some of the biggest they’ve ever faced. Tough calls need to be made. Not everyone is on board with Chalis’ ideas. Her motives are questionable, and trust among everyone is repeatedly tested. If Chalis’ plans fail, it means an almost certain death for Twilight Company. Namir must make decisions he knows will leave him exposed in front of suspecting eyes, and must also figure out his own motive before choosing to right things for wrong reasons. Filled with constant battles against the Empire, twists and unpredictable turns, Alexander Freed has penned a clichéd page turner! As indicated above, this was his first novel, I pray it is not his last. I want more from this guy. I want more Star Wars tales from him, but will absolutely read anything else he writes. Battlefront: Twilight Company is by far my all-time favorite Star Wars read to date! Phillip Tomasso Author of the Severed Empire Series Wizard’s Rise Wizard’s War Queens of Osiris