Film Review: Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies (2012)

While the Civil War rages on, President Abraham Lincoln must undertake an even more daunting task - destroying the Confederate Undead. Abe decides to sneak out of the White House to go to a remote outpost to take on zombies with a small group of handpicked soldiers.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2246549/?ref_=nv_sr_1 
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.

When I first saw the release of this film, I knew it was going to be a small, cheap imitation of the bigger budget Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. That didn't bother me as any film can be great or crap but you won't know until you try it. Sadly, as soon as I put this film on, I knew I had made a mistake. This was poor on a spectacular scale. And I normally love zombies.

Lets start with the acting. Bill Oberst Jr did a good imitation of Lincoln but the rest of the acting was really bad. It felt like a cheap stage play at times with actors stepping forward to deliver a line in a dramatic, over the top manner, then stepping back into the chorus line for the rest of the film. Watching a soldier step forward to say to Abe something along the lines of 'I will follow you to the gates of hell' was totally cringeworthy and tells you how bad the script was. Fifteen minutes in, I was shaking my head at how bad this was. The worst thing was turning Stonewall Jackson into a total asshat that you wanted to feed to the zombies.

Now we get to the plot. The very concept of Abe battling zombies is of course unrealistic but that kind of wild story or re-imagining history doesn't bother me if it delivers. We had Abe leaving the White House during the Civil War to take a group of soldiers to a fort to kill zombies. Presidents do not do that so immediately I had an issue with the plot but again, it can be forgiven if it is a good film. This wasn't. Abe doesn't explain to his soldiers what they are fighting or how to kill them so when they meet the zombies in the first two attacks, the soldiers think they are dealing with civilians and end up being bitten. No commander would have been so reckless as to not talk to his men about what they are dealing with. Then we have the stupidity of Abe needing to secure this fort-and as soon as he does, he decides they need to leave again. So what was the point of that? 

The zombies themselves were running around like idiots in the most unconvincing manner ever-watching normal people do these zombie walks looked scarier!Then when the fort was surrounded by zombies and Abe wants out, yes the zombies all fell asleep in broad daylight, allowing Abe's men to leave. Oh come on! That was pretty much the final straw for me. And when on this adventure they just happen to take refuge in the house of Abe's ex girlfriend, I switched the film off. 

Bad zombies, bad acting, terrible plot and script. Giving this one star is generous.

Throwback Thursday #34

This Meme is hosted by Melissa at My World in Words and Pages. Go to her blog and join us!

I blog about great looking new releases, new books sent to me for read and review, book reviews of what I've read and features about exciting new authors to try.

But what about all the books that are already on my TBR, waiting for me to read them? Don't they deserve a mention and a chance to be highlighted? Yes they do!

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, where I will take the time to tell you about some of the books that have been on my shelves for a while and maybe a few of you will add them to your wishlists/tbrs. If you have read them, why not leave a comment to tell me what you thought of it-but no spoilers please! 

This week I'm spotlighting three unread books by horror author Brian Keene. I've never read any of his books but I've been picking them up cheap over the last year or so and look forward to trying them! Have you read any of his work? What did you think? 

Since it's 2003 debut, Brian Keene's THE RISING is one of the best-selling zombie novels of all-time. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, inspired the works of other authors and filmmakers, and has become a cultural touchstone for an entire generation of horror fans.

THE RISING is the story of Jim Thurmond, a determined father battling his way across a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape, to find his young son. Accompanied by Martin, a preacher still holding to his faith, and Frankie, a recovering heroin addict with an indomitable will to survive, Jim travels from state to state and town to town, facing an endless onslaught of undead hordes, and the evils perpetrated by his fellow man.

In 2003, Brian Keene's The Rising revived horror literature's dormant obsession with zombies. In 2007, Brian Keene's Dead Sea knocked that obsession on its ass... The city streets are no longer safe. They are filled instead with the living dead, rotting predators driven only by a need to kill and eat. Some of the living still struggle to survive, but with each passing day, their odds grow worse. Some survivors have fled, frantically searching for a place to escape, even briefly, the slaughter around them. For Lamar Reed and a handful of others, that safe haven is an old Coast Guard ship out at sea, with plenty of water between them and the zombies. These desperate survivors are completely isolated from the dangers of the mainland. But their haven will soon become a deathtrap, and they'll learn that isolation can also mean no escape! Deadite Press is proud to present this Author's Preferred version of Keene's over-the-top cult classic, which includes never-before-published material!

No one believes Timmy when he and his friends discover that a centuries-old ghoul has been tunneling into fresh graves in the local cemetery to eat the dead.

When the ghoul starts attacking the living as well as the dead, Timmy realizes it’s up to him and his friends to stop him.

Book Review: Ill Wind by Rachel Caine (Weather Warden #1)

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. But now she is on the run from another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful Warden. Unfortunately, he is also on the run, having stolen three bottles of Djinn and become the most wanted man on Earth.

My Review:
Joanne is a Weather Warden, someone whose job it is to modify the weather to protect the public. Now she faces allegations of murder and goes on the run to prove her innocence. Her only hope is fellow fugitive Lewis who has more power than anyone else on the planet but will he put himself in danger to help her, even if she finds him? And when those chasing you can manipulate the weather to their advantage, death is just around the corner.

My first issue with this book was that Chapter One had 99 pages! Yeah I'm serious, 99 pages! I hate leaving a chapter unfinished and this one was way too long by anyone's standards. I love short sharp chapters where you keep thinking 'I'll just read one more' but with this book it was 'is this chapter EVER going to end?' That is not a good indset to be in. My second problem was that those 99 pages were very slow and boring and mostly involved driving around the countryside in a car, avoiding the clouds. It was not a very exciting start to a book and nothing about chapter one made me even want to start chapter two.

My next issue was the complicated weather related plot. You really need to know something about the subject to fully follow what was going on-so I was pretty lost. I know more about the subject now with my interest in storm chasing but at the time I read this and reviewed it, I was clueless, so I struggled. I suspect a few readers might have the same issue. I also found the main character a bit cold and uninteresting and I never really connected with her which does not help in a book that is slow moving. She is pretty dumb and unpleasant at times and I just felt that she had little depth or appeal. The romance, which I can really take or leave at the best of times, just fell flat and got in the way of the plot that was there.

I loved the idea of this book, the idea of a government agency trying to contain the worst of the bad weather to save lives, and evil people trying to use their power to cause disasters. It sounded so great but sadly the book had too much waffle at the start to keep me interested long enough to actually get to the main plot. Such a pity when this series seemed to have real potential and a real surprise from an author I like. Overall I just felt it was lacking in cohesion and interest. 

Book Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson #2)

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

My Review:
Mercy’s vampire friend Stefan wants her to be a witness as he delivers a message to a new vampire in town who isn't playing by the rules. But the vampire has a demon possessing him so it all turns bloody. Civilians are being butchered, crime is skyrocketing and the supernatural community is on edge as they search for a way to destroy the enemy. Mercy feels she has to help as her shapeshifter skills can track this enemy where others can't.

Can I gush any more as to how much I love this series? Mercy is such a great heroine. She has interesting but not superpower skills so she gets into trouble and gets hurt like a normal person, especially with so many supernatural friends to bring trouble to her door. She has a job she loves that she is determined to continue with, whatever happens. She has an ex that she cares about but knows she can't be with, and an attraction to someone who she knows will mean a big change in her life and she is unsure if she can do that or if his pack will accept her. CHOOSE ADAM!!! Now that boy would be my choice without a doubt! I do like Samuel and I hope they fix him up with someone nice but Adam just rules...Stefan is a great character and I just grin every time I picture a vampire driving the Scooby Doo minivan around town! If he did that in my town some wee thug would steal it and set it on fire...

I love the pack and the way that their personalities and ambitions are always changing, along with their opinions of Mercy being with Adam. Warren is such a sweetie and I love the way his character is written. He's not just thrown in as a token gay character, he is there with a purpose and a real place in the plot. I hope to see him continue to develop as a main player in the pack. Being a gay werewolf high up in the pack with strong homophobic and pack enemies gives so many possible future plotlines for him. Ben interested me from the start with him being suspected of rapes in London and having that air of menace about him. But Adam believes in him and it reminds me of how Dumbledore trusted Snape in the Harry Potter books when nobody else did. I like Ben because he is complex, rude and loyal to Adam. The constant friction and power struggles in the pack strike me as being quite realistic, the way you imagine a pack to operate.

The plot of the demon possessed vampire was good and what I like about this series is that the vampires are deadly, dangerous and pretty scary, other than Stefan. Marsilia is a psychopath and I get nervous for Mercy when she has contact with her and Wulfe is one of the creepiest vampires that I've read. The vampires are dealing with the fact that they have a traitor, which is interesting. The werewolves have just come out in public, putting Adam and Mercy under more scrutiny which adds an extra dimension to their relationship, in addition to pack issues. I feel as if there are several different exciting plots that interconnect nicely, delivering strong action, humour and character development.

I like the way Mercy decides to defy all the dangerous people in her life to do what she feels is right. She is a brave and endearing heroine and I love this series!

Reading With Chuckles #2

Welcome to Reading with Chuckles! This is where I fill you in on what I'm reading each week-what it is, where I got it or heard about it, what I think of it, if I'm continuing with it or abandoning it and any special offers I'm aware of where you can try the book yourself. Comments are welcome but no spoilers please! It's not fair to other readers!

This was more of a TV week for me so I didn't get much reading done. I need to make more of an effort this week but with a minor viral infection threatening to attack me, I have my doubts! I'm still reading one book that I started last week.

One woman's story as she blogs - and fights back - the zombie apocalypse

Allison Hewitt and her five colleagues at the Brooks and Peabody Bookstore are trapped together when the zombie outbreak hits. Allison reaches out for help through her blog, writing on her laptop and utilizing the military's emergency wireless network (SNET). It may also be her only chance to reach her mother. But as the reality of their situation sinks in, Allison’s blog becomes a harrowing account of her edge-of-the-seat adventures (with some witty sarcasm thrown in) as she and her companions fight their way through ravenous zombies and sometimes even more dangerous humans.

“Madeline Roux manages to answer the eternal question all of us must ask ourselves eventually: "When the zombie apocalypse comes (and it will come), how will I handle it?" For my part, I hope I manage it with as much humanity and determination as Allison. But I would like to make a request for bigger weapons.” 
Christine Warren, New York Times bestselling author of The Others series