INDIE MOVIE REVIEW: AS THE EARTH TURNS (2019)

  

A 1938 silent sci-fi film never released by a 20-year-old filmmaker in Seattle (Richard Lyford) who went on to work for Disney and direct an Award-winning Academy film (The Titan). Well-known composer/producer Ed Hartman (The Blind Side, The Cold Light of Day) restored, composed, and produced the film bringing it back to life to be seen. Owner of the film estate and stock Hartman has taken the film on the road having it go on to win 134 awards. This Halloween, it was even currently featured on TMC (Turner Classic Movies)! (2021)

Available on AMAZON PRIME   GOOGLE PLAY   YOUTUBE   TUBI TV

Also Available on DVD/Blu-Ray with extras* **Includes "It Gets in Your Blood" award-winning documentary about Richard Lyford at TCM SHOP  AMAZON and WALMART.

REVIEW

Debuting with the catchphrase "80 years in the making, "As The Earth Turns" has been beautifully restored, turning it into a film masterpiece! I often got lost forgetting this film was originally from 1938. It looks so crisp and clean. All behind the restoring this old film deserves accolades and accolades they have earned. The film has been entered into 122 festivals to date and won over 134 awards and nominations combined.  

Being bombarded with modern movies today and with CGI and special effects, As the Earth Turns is a step back in time. An oldie but goodie As The Earth Turns still rocks it out of the park with excellent entertainment value. I loved this film! It shows that special effects don't make a film; it's the storytelling. Lyford (who wrote the piece as well.) was inspired by "The Man Who Rocked the Earth" by Arthur Train and Robert Williams Wood (1915) to tell his apocalyptic war tale.

 A true indie filmmaker, pioneer Richard Lyford, and his camera work were visionary! All future film schools should include Richard Lyford as a filmmaker to study. You could learn a lot from his innovative filmmaking prowess. Making movies was in Lyford's DNA. It was no wonder when this project came across composer and producer Ed Hartman's desk; he hopped on board. 

Not only did Hartman help resurrect this lost film, but he also produced and composed a whole new score for the film, which fits seamlessly in with the era. As a bonus, you can also find a follow-up piece titled "It's Gets in Your Blood," a short documentary on Lyford himself.

 It is a fascinating piece as Lyford basically built a filmmaking empire in his own backyard with just family and friends, having had written 58 stage and screenplays by the time he was 20. In fact, Hartman and 8 Sense production are currently in the works on a biopic piece on the life of Richard Lyford. I can't wait for it! Follow for updates at https://www.astheearthturns.com/.

My Rating********** 10 out of 10

 

 

BOOK REVIEW: Revenge is Reason Enough by Isabella Steel

 

Washington, D. C. has always been a stagnate cesspool of corruption, partisanship, and apathy. It is a world in which politicians callously line their pockets without the slightest regard for the consequences of their actions. They care not for the innocent victims left in the wake of their political games. Alex Conway is one of those victims.

Alex Conway desperately rushes his sick daughter, Amelia, to the Emergency Room only to be turned away as a result of the government shutdown. Alex ultimately loses his daughter in the same nightmare scenario in which he lost his wife, Carly. Fueled by grief, rage, and vengeance, Alex Conway sets out to expose and destroy the forces of corruption that destroyed his life.

Thanks to a cruel twist in fate, Alex Conway finds himself with both unlimited resources and a fatal cancer diagnosis. With nothing left to lose, he and his partner, Tara Snow, enact a plot of murderous revenge on both the House and Senate. Both a determined Investigative journalist and an elite FBI unit relentlessly pursue them; will they be able to execute all of their plans?

This political thriller is a roller coaster ride. From beginning to end, the reader will be left wondering, who is the true villain in this novel? Is it the grief-stricken and vengeance-seeking protagonist? Or is the true source of evil the crushing and corrupt government machine that drove him over the edge?

 

AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON/ BookBub

REVIEW

 In Revenge is Reason Enough, we meet Alex Conway, a husband, and father. His wife has passed not so long ago he now rushes his daughter to the ER with a high fever amidst a government shutdown. What happens later? Well, revenge is reason enough.

After the first heart-wrenching first chapter that sets this book up, I shut the book near tears, not sure I wanted to read the rest. Conway’s pain was my pain. It hurt my heart so much. You know the rest has to be good if an author can do that in just the first chapter. Right? Steel does not disappoint either, especially if you are a fan of political thrillers. Revenge is Reason Enough is an adventurous and action pack read.

I first came across Steel's work in the critically acclaimed Skadegemutc: Ghost Witch, a paranormal horror tale.  Steel does a 180-degree turn with a pollical thriller in Revenge is Reason Enough. While not a particular fan of political thrillers, Steel managed to keep this non-political thriller lover engaged with the plot. It is all thanks to her sensational story weaving prowess (Which she showed in Ghost Witch.), and she is showing it here too, managing to hook a reader no matter what.

I did not quite get that the book is said to be part of the Amy Radigan Mystery. While her character was not the front runner of the novel, it did seem to take part in her world making you wonder how Revenge and Amy Radigan Mystery all fit in.

Either way, Revenge is Reason Enough is an engaging political thriller aimed to entertain and make us think about our own government and its secrets.

My Rating **** (4 out of 5 Stars)

About the Author

Isabella Steel lives near San Diego, California, with her wife and dogs. An avid gardener, she raises roses and koi in her backyard. Her novel Ghost Witch left readers terrified & guarding their children. Critics and readers agree. Steel is a master world builder. The characters and settings come alive and enable total escapism. Highly recommended! She has also published two political thrillers set in San Diego, a science fiction novel and epic fantasy. Find her books on Amazon and at www.BlackRaptorBook.com