Review: The Witch

My review of The Witch, a terrific little horror/spooky historical film set in 17th century New England, is up at Horrorview.

Review: The Hateful Eight

My review of Quentin Tarantino's latest, The Hateful Eight, is up at Horrorview.

Review of A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema

The blog She Treads Softly has a rave review of A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema. Take a read, and browse the extensive archives of book reviews while you're there.

Thoughts on seeing "Jaws" on the big screen

It's no secret to anyone who knows me well that Jaws is one of my favorite movies. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's pretty much a perfect film. It's got a well-balanced three-act structure, a compelling story, deftly sketched characters, and excellent acting. Plus it's damned entertaining and still scary after all these years.

I got the chance to see it on the big screen for the first time ever, and it was a wonderful experience. Much as I love movies on DVD/Blu-Ray in the privacy of my own home, there's no substitute for seeing a film with an appreciative audience. (The audience at the showing of Jaws was particularly good, applauding at the famous "You're gonna need a bigger boat" line and respectfully awed at the Indianapolis monologue.)

If you're at all a fan of the film, you should seek out one of these 40th Anniversary showings put on by Fathom Events. In the meantime, here is my review of it from my book A Nerd Girl's Guide To Cinema:

I try not to throw around the words “masterpiece” or “perfection” too often, but I really have to use them when I talk about Jaws. Everything about it just works so well. The terror it instills in the audience. The three-act dramatic structure. The performances, especially by the three leads. John Williams’ famous score. I could go on and on. And it’s still being ripped off and paid homage to more than thirty years after its release.Jaws is one of those movies that is so embedded in the American culture that even people who haven’t seen it know the basics, but here goes. A great white shark decides to make the New England island of Amity his lunch buffet, his first victim being an unlucky skinny-dipper. Water-phobic sheriff Brody (Roy Scheider in an underrated performance), a New York City émigré who’s still settling into his role as Amity’s leading lawman, wants to close the beaches but the mayor (odious Murray Hamilton), who’s thinking only of the dollars the summer tourists bring in, won’t have it. More deaths happen, and it’s up to Brody along with ichthyologist Hooper (hyper Richard Dreyfuss) and fisherman/shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) head out to sea to kill the shark.It’s hard to pinpoint what makes Jaws so effective after all these years. Certainly there’s the unease all of us have, consciously or not, at being in the ocean where we are (literally) out of our element. The ocean is big, its motion is out of our control, and most of the time you can’t see what’s around you. There really is no way to know what’s swimming just beyond you or beneath you. And it’s not easy to escape it, as the scene of panicked beach-goers fleeing the water demonstrates: people flounder, get knocked over, and no matter how fast they move they’re no match for the predator that’s after them.
That’s a major factor, but what really makes Jaws work is how real it feels. If the movie was made today, the beaches of Amity would be packed with pretty hardbodies. But the beaches of Jaws are full of ordinary people. Families, people of every age and variety, from the partiers in the opening scene to the wannabe landscape painter who sees the shark in the estuary. They’re people just like us and we identify with them.
Of the shark-hunting trio, it’s Brody we meet first, and though he’s the least entertaining of the three, he’s the one we relate to. He’s a man who’s decent — even honorable. He’s left crime-ridden New York City behind and, despite his deep fear of the water (notice during the second shark attack scene, he runs down to the water but doesn’t get his feet wet) has moved to an island to give his wife and children a better life. He’s “not an Islander” and is still finding his way among the town’s petty politics; it’s not his fault that the beaches aren’t closed and more deaths occur, but as a lawman he feels responsible. And when his own son has a narrow escape from the shark it’s his duty not just as a lawman but as a father to help find and kill the shark. Always an underrated actor, Scheider gives an excellent performance, particularly when the action moves to Quint’s boat and he is completely (and literally of course) in over his head, relegated to “chum duty” because he doesn’t know which rope to pull. Probably his best acting moment is during a night-time attack by the shark when Brody draws his handgun and wears a look of fear as he realizes that the weapon that may have served him in the past will do no good.
Fear and bravery are two themes that come up often during the movie’s third act, from Brody’s last stand against the shark to Hooper’s descent into the shark cage. Throughout the shark hunt scenes we’ve seen Hooper’s boyish enthusiasm over the shark become increasingly manic in response to the “arrr, I don’t need a city boy on me ship” taunts from Quint. (It’s interesting that Quint never taunts Brody but rather treats him with a sort of benign pity.) But all of Hooper’s bluster goes away when he’s ready to go into the shark cage, and is unable to spit into his mask because the fear reaction has dried up his saliva. Likewise, all of Quint’s “here’s to swimmin’ with bow-legged women” banter goes away, first when he gives his haunting monologue about the USS Indianapolis, then when he realizes that of the hundreds of sharks he’s hunted, this one may be his match.
Today’s blockbusters are so big, so loud, so focused on the next big thrill that they’ve forgotten how to tell stories and get audience members involved. Jaws could be made again. Yes, the shark would look better. But the soul of the movie — ordinary people against the terrors the deep can hold — would be lost. If you need your faith in the power of cinema restored, watch Jaws again.

Find out what A Girl Who Loves Horror thinks of A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema

A Girl Who Loves Horror has her review of A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema. Take a look!

Review: Mad Max - Fury Road

Shiny and chrome! My review of the decidedly NOT MEDIOCRE Mad Max - Fury Road is up at Horrorview.

A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema hits the shelves!

I am pleased to announce the release of my first nonfiction book, A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema.

For those of you who know me for my novels, here's some background: I've been in love with movies nearly as long as I've been in love with fiction. And the movies that I enjoy the most are ones that are … how shall I put it … odd. I chalk it up to seeing movies like The Last Wave and Phantom of the Paradise when I was young and impressionable. Those movies tweaked my psyche in ways that could never be undone.

I started writing movie reviews back in the early 2000s for the Horrorview website. And a few years ago, I got the notion to do a book of movie reviews; my inspiration came from reading review books by Joe Bob Briggs and Pauline Kael, and especially Danny Peary's Cult Movies and Guide for the Film Fanatic books.

A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema has reviews of 200 movies in a variety of genres from art house oddities to grind house horrors and everywhere in between. It's available in both ebook and paperback.

Undertow review at The Bibliophilic Book Blog

The latest review for Undertow is in. Visit the Bibliophilic Book Blog to learn their thoughts on the book.

More reviews for Undertow!

This year my Christmas was particularly merry, as bloggers reviewed my new mystery, Undertow.

The Reading Cafe says, "[Kelly Cozy] blew me away again." Read full review.

The Book Bag says, "it kept me on the edge of my seat." Read full review.

Book Bag Lady says, "It was suspenseful and exhilarating all at the same time." Read full review.

Ciska's Book Chest says, "Cozy knows how to create characters and set atmosphere." Read full review.

I am very grateful to all of these bloggers for reading my book and sharing their thoughts on it with their readers.

5-star review of Undertow

The blog The Bohemian Housewife has a five-star review of Undertow!

Review: Video Nasties - The Definitive Guide

Find out how horror videotapes caused a nationwide furor and moral panic in early 80s UK; start with my review of Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide over at Horrorview.

Review: Under the Skin

My review of the sublimely creepy Under The Skin is up at Horrorview.

Review: The Visitor

My review of The Visitor, a 1979 Italian film that's half horror, half sci-fi, and all kinds of crazy, is up at Horrorview. Enjoy!

Word Joy reviews The Day After Yesterday

Pay a visit to the excellent Word Joy blog, and while you're there, read the review of The Day After Yesterday.

Ashes review at Under the Boardwalk!

The blog Under the Boardwalk has a review of Ashes. Find out more here!

5-star review of Reckoning at The Bibliophilic Book Blog

Star at the Bibliophilic Book Blog has a 5-star review of Reckoning!

Book BagLady reviews Ashes and Reckoning!

The Book BagLady has just finished reading both books in my Ashes series, and is sharing her thoughts over at her blog. Read the reviews of Ashes and Reckoning.

Review: The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug

Can an awesome dragon save a misfired movie? Find out in my review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug over at Horrorview.

5-star review of Reckoning (Ashes #2) at Literary R&R

Find out what Charlene at Literary R&R thought of Reckoning (Ashes #2)!

Review of Reckoning (Ashes #2) at The Reading Cafe!

The Reading Cafe has a very positive review of Reckoning (Ashes #2) up - find out what the reviewer thought of the book, and of the series as a whole.