Book Review - Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Title: Parable of the Sower (Earthseed # 1)
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Genre: Science Fiction/ Dystopia/ Classic
Published: 1993
 
Description: In 2024, with the world descending into madness and anarchy, one woman begins a fateful journey toward a better future.
 
Lauren Olamina and her family live in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Behind the walls of their defended enclave, Lauren’s father, a preacher, and a handful of other citizens try to salvage what remains of a culture that has been destroyed by drugs, disease, war, and chronic water shortages. While her father tries to lead people on the righteous path, Lauren struggles with hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extraordinary sensitive to the pain of others.
 
When a fire destroys their compound, Lauren’s family is killed and she is forced our into a world that is fraught with danger. With a handful of other refugees, Lauren must make her way north to safety, along the way conceiving a revolutionary idea that may mean salvation for all mankind.
 
Review: “Parable of the Sower” tells the story as the various crises that are now also taking place in 2025 have developed further. The climate crisis has led to environment where it almost never rains. Water is scarce. The economic crisis has increased the gap between rich and poor. Polarization has caused entire groups of people to be pitted against other people and you can no longer trust anyone again. The story starts in 2024, but was written in 1993. That blows my mind.
 
In this America that Octavia E. Butler wrote about, cannibalism is back. Drugs that numb cause the worst type of crimes. Lauren Olamina is our protagonist. She lives with her father, a preacher, in a walled community in the hope of being protected from her anarchy outside. Lauren is very sensitive, has hyperempathy, and picks up emotions and pain from other people. Lauren has developed her own ideology, the Earthseed. She believes in a God who is change. This belief develops over the course of the story and ensures that she can persevere.
 
“Parable of the Sower” is a very special book. Especially because of the world Butler is describing and the fact that it was written over 30 years ago. Lauren is a wonderful character, easy to empathize with. Lauren’s beliefs in change, which she shapes and develops through her thoughts, makes you realize that change is possible. That gives hope and courage. And each chapter starts with a piece of her journal: Earthseed, the book of the living.
 
The writing style is descriptive and compelling. More people should read this book to realize what kind of world we would create if we do nothing. Because it is reality, even though this book is categorized as science fiction. Sadly Octavia E. Butler passed away in 2006, but I will read everything on her backlist.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Babygirl

Director: Halina Reijn
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Esther McGregor, Vaughan Reilly 
 
Description: A high powered CEO (Nicole Kidman) puts her career and family in the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern (Harris Dickinson).
 
Review: Romy Mathis has made it. She is the CEO of a company specializing in AI and robotics, and her marriage to stage director Jacob has lasted for years. But one day, during an anxious moment, she meets twenty-something Samuel. Who she lates sees back at her company as an intern. Samuel takes a brutal, confrontational and transgressive attitude toward Romy; to the point that she is completely thrown off guard. Samuel continues to challenge her and eventually Romy gives in. She risks paying a high price for a slip-up that grows into much more than that.  

This is the second English-language film by once actress ut now established Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (previously directed “Bodies Bodies Bodies”). “Babygirl” is an erotic thriller, like many that were made in the nineties. Yet fresh and surprising, because we now see through the eyes of the woman, who is not always allowed to act morally pure. The film does not believe in good and bad, but lustfully digs in the gray area in between.  

Kidman shines as the complex Romy and the film manages to break taboos as well as explore current themes around consent and gender roles.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Pig

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A FILM FROM 2021
 
Description: A truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his part in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Review: Nicolas Cage is either very over the top or really subdued. For “Pig” it’s the latter. It’s a fairly quiet film with a meandering style. Cage plays Rob, a man who was once the best chef in town, but now lives a reclusive life in the woods of Oregon. There he lives, along with his pig, who helps him search and root for truffles. But then his quiet life gets disturbed and his pig gets stolen. Rob has to go back to the city and find her.

In core the film is about learning to care about something and not fall prey to hypocrisy. I absolutely loved this film. It’s a slow film, no action, just a man looking for his beloved pig. And Nicolas Cage is wonderful. His rage is now very contained and it works perfectly for “Pig”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - The Last Town by Blake Crouch

Title: The Last Town (Wayward Pines # 3)
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2014

Description: Welcome to Wayward Pines, the last town.
 
Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrived in Wayward Pines, Idaho, three week ago. In this town, people are told who to marry, where to live, where to work. Their children are taught that David Pilcher, the town’s creator, is god. No one is allowed to leave; even asking questions can get you killed.
 
But Ethan has discovered the astonishing secret of what lies beyond the electrified fence that surrounds Wayward Pines and protects it from the terrifying world beyond. It is a secret that has the entire population completely under the control of a madman and his army of followers, a secret that is about to come storming through the fence to wipe out the last fragile remnant of humanity.
 
Review: “The Last Town” is the third and final book in the “Wayward Pines” series. And it’s different in tone. Where “Pines” and “Wayward” were more sci-fi, mystery, thriller, “The Last Town” has more horror elements to it. And it’s really good.
 
WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS TWO BOOKS OR ARE READING THEM RIGHT NOW, PLEASE BE AWARE THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
 
In “The Last Town”, only a month has passed since Secret Service Agent Ethan Burke has arrived at Wayward Pines. He has finally confronted the residents of the town with the horrific truth that its creator David Pilcher has been hiding from them. But has Ethan done the right thing? After all, aren’t the residents much better of living in ignorance? But Pilcher has his own plan and confronts the residents with the horrific outside world. The result: a life and death struggle.
 
In the previous books the tension was mainly caused by the secrets in the town. Not knowing what was really going on. But in “The Last Town”, the story becomes significantly terrifying because of the monsters on the loose and bloody attacks. It’s very easy to see the story happening in your head while reading and that’s all due to Blake Crouch’s wonderful writing.
 
The main characters in the book are the same ones who played important roles in the other books. In the process we learn more about their pasts. What led Pilcher to create Wayward Pines. What secrets does Theresa carry with her? Beautiful in this is to see how each of the characters deals with the prevailing danger. The writing style is accessible with short chapters, cliffhangers and POV changes.
 
“The Last Town” is an exciting, terrifying and very worthy finale in the “Wayward Pines” trilogy. With a perfect score for all three books, this series became one of my favorite books series I’ve ever read.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Nosferatu

Genre: Fantasy/ Horror/ Mystery
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney
 
Description: A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) infatuated with her, causing untold horror in it awake.
 
Review: The 1922 “Nosferatu” by F.W. Murnau is an illicit adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. It’s a chilling masterpiece that overambitious directors had better stay away from when thinking of a remake. Especially after all the countless Dracula films adaptations that add little to nothing to the original story. But director Robert Eggers has proven with movies such as “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman” that he can do something and has a unique vision. “Nosferatu” is a story that was made for him and the result is worth watching.

The 1922 “Nosferatu” is a silent film that terrified audience at the time. Eggers stays away from the theatrical and operatic style that many vampire movies often use. He does not hide away his admiration for Murnau’s original. But he uses his own style and made a unique and personal work with an original approach.

The story broadly follow that of the classic. In 1838, Thomas Hutter must leave his young bride Ellen behind in Wisborg, Germany, and travel to Transylvania. He must personally hand over the purchase papers of an old property to the buyer, the mysterious Count Orlok. Too late, Thomas realizes that his host is a vampire who harbors an all-consuming love for Ellen. Orlok sails a doomed ship to Wisborg to claim his bride.

Probably the biggest change that Eggers made, is Orlok’s look. Max Schreck was a bald-headed vampire with sharp rabbit-like teeth. What stands out most about Bill Skarsgård as Orlok, is the thick moustache. In the first half of the film, Eggers leaves him mostly in the shadows, but in the second half you see him in more detail.

Eggers uses a monochromatic look, with sometimes scenes fully in black an white. This fits the atmosphere and also Egger’s style. The camera work is excellent. It’s panning, where is doesn’t feel like it’s spinning nor is it stationary.

“Nosferatu” is not a nail-biter, but it is very scary. But the terror is more in the portrayal of the characters, the atmosphere and the way it’s filmed. The shadow especially impressed me and was very creepy. Performances by Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult are really strong, but it’s Lily-Rose Depp who really delivers a stellar performance.

If you are familiar with Robert Eggers’ previous work and those were not your cup of tea, “Nosferatu” will probably not be for you. If you’re a fan of his style and type of storytelling, you will love this too. Just beware of the gore that is coming.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Cargo

Director: Ben Howling, Yolanda Ramke
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Martin Freeman, Simone Landers, Susie Porter

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 12: A FILM WITH MARTIN FREEMAN
 
Description: After and epidemic spreads all over Australia, a father (Martin Freeman) searches for someone willing to protect his daughter.

Review: “Cargo” is an ambitious variation on the zombie genre, about a married couple and their young daughter trying to stay out of the grip of the infected in the Australian outback. While the white Australians show little solidarity among themselves, the Aborigines actually gravitate toward each other.
The film never explains what happened, why and where this epidemic has started. That’s not really necessary to know. And we don’t get to see that many of the infected (they are never called zombies, but they technically are). The emphasis is more on disintegrating relationships, rather than flesh-eating undead.

Martin Freeman is the lead in this film and he is really strong. Just an ordinary citizen in an unusual situation. Doing everything to keep his young daughter Rosie safe.

“Cargo” is somewhat of a hidden gem on Netflix, it’s really worth your time.

Rating: 4/ 5 

Book Review - Wayward by Blake Crouch

Title: Wayward (Wayward Pines # 2)
Author: Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2013
 
Description: Welcome to Wayward Pines, population 461. Nestled amidst picture-perfect mountains, the idyllic town is a modern-day Eden… except for the electrified fence and razor wire, snipers scoping everything 24/ 7, and the relentless surveillance tracking each word and gesture. None of the residents know how they got there. They are told where to work, how to live, and who to marry. Some believe they are dead. Others think they’re trapped in an unfathomable experiment. Everyone secretly dreams of leaving, but those who dare face a terrifying surprise.
 
Ethan Burke has seen the world beyond. He’s sheriff, and one of the few who knows the truth. Wayward Pines isn’t just a town. And what lies on the other side of the fence is a nightmare beyond anyone’s imagining.
 
Review: Imagine living in a beautiful small village. The surroundings are breathtaking and the families who live there look perfect. Everyone has jobs and a beautiful house to live in. it sounds great, but as we all know, nothing is perfect. And Wayward Pines certainly isn’t.
 
“Wayward” is the sequel to “Pines”, in the “Wayward Pines” series. The first book ended with a cliffhanger that shook the entire story. The second book builds on this reveal we got and it works amazing.
 
WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK OR ARE READING IT RIGHT NOW, PLEASE BE AWARE THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
 
Ethan Burke has accepted the challenge and now works as the sheriff of Wayward Pines. Although he has little to do most days, he carries a big secret with him – the truth. And as soon as his wife Theresa reveals that she has doubts about Wayward Pines, Ethan is faced with a decision whether to inform her or not. In doing so, he plays a double role as sheriff. On the one hand, the wants to do something himself with what he knows. On the other hand, he must make sure that the residents of the town continue to behave themselves and, above all, do not find out the truth.
 
The sequel delves more into the history and origins of Wayward Pines. This ensures, that the cliffhanger the first book ended with becomes more believable. The reader gets more fo a handle on the explanation regarding the origins of Wayward Pines. In the process, the reader also learns more about Ethan Burke and his past before his arrival in Wayward Pines.
 
“Pines” was one of the best books I read in 2024, and I think “Wayward” will be in 2025. Its just as good as its predecessor and I immediately want to read the third book, since this one also ended with a cliffhanger.
 
Rating: 5/ 5