Book; Doctor Dealer

 Doctor Dealer

Author; George Anastasia & Ralph Cipriano

Synopsis;

Dr. James Kauffman and his wife, April, were the perfect couple: a respected endocrinologist and a beautiful radio host. But under the surface lurked a world of drugs, sex, and biker gangs. A world Dr. Kauffman would kill to keep secret.

In May 2012, April Kauffman, a well-known local radio personality and staunch advocate of military veterans rights, was found shot to death in the bedroom of the home she shared with her husband, Dr. James Kauffman.

Six years later, in the fall of 2018, Freddy Augello, a leader of the notorious motorcycle gang the Pagans, went on trial for drug dealing and murder. He was charged with arranging the death of April Kauffman in exchange for $50,000 from her husband, who, in addition to practicing medicine, was one of the area’s most prolific drug traffickers. 

Told by two accomplished reporters and authors with exclusive insights and details provided by two principal players, this is the story about one man's descent into evil and the people he took with him. It's a story about a doctor who helped flood the streets with opioids, about a husband who hid dark secrets from his wives, and about a man so consumed with greed and arrogance that he thought he could get away with murder.

Thoughts;

I watch the ID channel and love true crime. I have seen this case on one of those programs so this book really caught my attention.

It was a story that's hard to imagine but it's also hard to read. There is a lot of back and forth and you have to try and get your barrings with it.

Movie: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Came out; 2023

Time; 2 hours 4 minutes

Watched: Disney Plus

Rating; PG-13 for violence/action and language

IMDB Rating; 6.2/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man

Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp

Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym

Michelle Pfeifer as Janet Van Dyne

Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror

Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang

Bill Murray as Lord Krylar

Corey Stoll as M.O.D.O.K.

Katy M O'Brian as Jentorra

Story Line.

When Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, along with Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, and Scott's daughter, Cassie, are accidentally sent to the Quantum Realm, they soon find themselves exploring the Realm, interacting with strange new creatures.

Thoughts:

This wasn't my favorite; it was missing something. I can't quit put my finger on what.

The story line was right on with the movie title. It all made sense in the series but there just wasn't something “off” with it.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

During her days of entrapment in the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne encounters Kang. In the present day after the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang has become a successful memoirist and has been living happily with his girlfriend Hope van Dyne. Lang's now teenage daughter Cassie has become an activist whose activities result in Lang bailing her out of jail.

While visiting Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet, Cassie reveals that she has been working on a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm. Upon learning of this, Janet panics and tries to shut off the device, but the message is received, resulting in a portal that opens and pulls the five of them into the Quantum Realm. Scott and Cassie are found by natives who are rebelling against their ruler, while Hope, Janet, and Pym explore a sprawling city to get answers.

Hope, Janet and Hank meet with Lord Krylar, a former ally of Janet's, who reveals that things have changed since she left, and that he is now working for Kang, who is now the realm's ruler. After an intense showdown, the three are forced to flee and steal his ship. The Langs are told by the rebel's leader Jentorra that Janet's involvement with Kang is indirectly responsible for his uprising, they soon come under attack by Kang's forces, consisting of robotic subordinates led by M.O.D.O.K., who is revealed to be Darren Cross, having survived his apparent death at Lang's hands.

The Langs are taken to Kang, who demands that Scott help get his power core back or else he will kill Cassie. Lang is taken to the core's location and shrinks down. He is nearly drowned in a sea of variants of himself, but Hope arrives and helps him acquire the power core. However, Kang reneges on the deal, capturing Janet and destroying her ship with Hank on it.

After being rescued by his ants, who were also pulled into the Quantum Realm, rapidly evolved, and became hyper-intelligent, Pym helps Lang and Hope as they make their way to Kang. Still imprisoned, Cassie rescues Jentorra and they commence an uprising against Kang and his army. During the fight, Cassie appeals to Cross' character, which convinces him to turn sides and fight Kang, though at the cost of his life.

Janet fixes the power core as she, Pym, Hope, and Cassie jump through a portal home, but Kang attacks Scott, nearly beating him into submission, until Hope returns, and, together with Scott, they destroy the power core with a combination of Pym Particles and knock Kang into it, consuming him into oblivion. Cassie reopens the portal on her end for Scott and Hope to return home.

As Scott happily resumes his life, he begins to rethink what he was told about Kang's death being the start of something terrible happening but brushes it off.

In a mid-credits scene: numerous variants of Kang led by Immortus, commiserate the death of one of their own and start planning their Multiversal uprising.

In a post-credits scene: Loki and Mobius M. Mobius encounter another Kang variant, named Victor Timely, on Earth in the 1940s.

Movie: Knock at the Cabin (2023) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Knock at the Cabin

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 40 minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rating; R for violence and language

IMDB Rating; 6.1/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Dave Bautista as Leonard

Jonathon Groff as Eric

Ben Aldridge as Andrew

Nikki Amuka-Bird as Sabrina

Rupert Grint as Redmond

Abby Quinn as Adriane

Kristen Cui as Wen

Story Line.

Wen, only seven years old, is vacationing with her two dads, Eric and Andrew, at a remote cabin. While catching grasshoppers, she is approached by a stranger named Leonard. Initially friendly, he explains that he needs Wen and her parents' help to save the world. However, Wen becomes suspicious when three other people appear with makeshift weapons. Wen flees to warn Eric and Andrew, but the visitors break into the cabin and tie them up, with Eric sustaining a concussion. Leonard and his companions claim that they have never met before this day and have no intention of harming the family. However, in the past week, they have been driven by visions and an unknown force to find the family as they are predicting an impending apocalypse. Vision or illusion?

Thoughts:

This is a pretty slow-going movie, but it's always on point with where it's at and what they want you to see. This is pretty typical for this director.

The tension feels real, with every second you can feel what the family is feeling. Are these crazy people or are they telling the truth?

I also loved how the movie would jump into a back story then back to what's happening now.

I personally thought this was a very good movie.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Wen, a seven-year-old, is vacationing with her adoptive parents, Eric and Andrew, at their remote cabin in Burlington County, New Jersey.

During her stay, Wen is approached by a mysterious stranger named Leonard. Initially charming, Leonard explains that he needs Wen and her parents' help to save the world. While the two spend time together catching grasshoppers, Wen becomes suspicious when three other people show up with makeshift weapons. Wen flees to warn Eric and Andrew but the visitors break into the cabin before tying them up, with Eric sustaining a concussion.

Leonard and his companions-Sabrina, Adriane, and Redmond-claim to have never met before this day and have no intention to harm the family, but in the last week, they have been compelled by visions and an unknown power to find the family. The group foresee an upcoming apocalypse in which Leonard claims oceans will rise, a plague will descend, the sky will fall, and finally an unending darkness will descend. This can only be averted if the family kills one of their own as a sacrifice. They are warned that, while they will survive the apocalypse, if they do not choose, they will be doomed to be the last people alive. Eric and Andrew believe the group is lying and the attack is rooted in hate and delusions.

When the family refuses to choose, the visitors conduct a strange ritual in which Redmond covers his head with a cloth and they beat him to death with their weapons. Eric, who is concussed, believes he sees a figure of light as Redmond dies. On the TV, media reports devastating tsunamis, which Leonard says is the start of the apocalypse. Andrew comes to believe that Redmond is actually Jeff O'Bannon, a homophobe who assaulted him in a bar years ago, for which he went to prison. Andrew believes O'Bannon tracked him down as revenge. Leonard, Sabrina, and Adriane question if Andrew is right and struggle with their guilt, but maintain that they believe their visions. They reveal that Redmond's death has temporarily delayed the apocalypse. The next day, the intruders sacrifice Adriane as Eric and Andrew refuse to choose a sacrifice.

The disasters continue as a plague spread across the globe. Andrew insists the disasters are coincidental and the visitors were anticipating pre-scheduled news broadcasting. Sabrina describes how she and the other visitors were led by their visions and compulsions to find each other online, execute details of their plan such as their weapons, and to continue forward when they wanted to resist. Andrew manages to escape and retrieves his gun from the car and shoots at Sabrina until she runs away. Andrew finds Redmond's wallet and proves to Leonard that he was Jeff. Injured from his attack and their tires slashed, Andrew believes the four came in a truck nearby and locks Leonard in the bathroom. Sabrina breaks into the house, and Andrew fatally injures her. Leonard then tricks Andrew into coming into the bathroom and overpowers him, stealing the gun.

Leonard still sacrifices Sabrina, and the broadcasts shows spontaneous plane crashes taking place around the world. Realizing their time is almost up, Leonard takes the three onto the back deck as the sky begins to blacken and lightning begins to set the earth on fire. Before sacrificing himself, Leonard tells them they have only minutes to decide before it is too late and slashes his throat. Eric now believes that the events are real, and the intruders each represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Not wanting Wen to grow up in a destroyed world, Eric offers himself as the sacrifice. He claims that he saw a light before the visitors killed Redmond, and that he saw a future of the world still surviving and Wen is grown up, and Andrew is still there for her. Eric feels that they were chosen to sacrifice their family because their family's love was pure. Andrew then reluctantly shoots and kills Eric.

Andrew and Wen find the visitor's truck with their belongings that corroborate their stories. They drive to a crowded nearby diner, where news reports on the TV confirm that the disasters have subsided, and the world is saved. Returning to the truck, the radio turns on and plays "Boogie Shoes" by KC and the Sunshine Band, the song Eric played for them on their drive to the cabin, as the two drive back into the world.

Chronic Pain Thoughts: Volume 9

 Dear Reader,

Today I find myself in pain and frustrated. I am sick of not being listened to, being dismissed and not given the care I feel I deserve as a human.

I have had anti-inflammatory medications for as long as I can remember. Recently I was told that the one I was taking was no longer working because I had been taking it for too long. I was switched from diclofenac to Celebrex.

After a few weeks on Celebrex, I started having stomach issues. I contacted both doctors in my care team, Pain & Spine and Orthopedics. I was told that Celebrex doesn't have “stomach upset” and that diclofenac does. This is not true, Celebrex comes with a warning from the pharmacy. I was called in a medication that I've tried before, that doesn't work, I told them it doesn't work, and they called it in anyway. I'm not going to pick up and pay for a medication that doesn't work for me!

Why are we treated with such disrespect? Why are we treated like we don't matter?

I am sick of physical therapy; I've tried this more times that I can count. I am sick of injections in my back & neck that don't work. If anything, those injections cause more pain than relief! I am sick of not being listened to and what choice do we have?!

Movie: The Mother (2023) Caution Spoiler Alerts

 The Mother

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 55 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rating; R for violence, some language and brief drug use

IMDB Rating; 5.6/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring;

Jennifer Lopez as The Mother

Lucy Paez as Zoe

Omari Hardwick as Cruise

Joseph Fiennes as Adrian

Gael Garcia Bernal as Hector

Story Line;

While fleeing from dangerous assailants, an assassin comes out of hiding to protect her daughter she left earlier in life

Thoughts;

There were more people in this movie, but I only listed the main players.

This wasn't great. It drug on and didn't seem to stop. The plot was ok and the acting was fine. The same thing happened like 3 times during the same movie and it just seemed over done

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

An unnamed U.S. operative, known as "The Mother", forms a relationship with ex-SAS marine Adrian Lovell and arms dealer Hector Álvarez, who are in search of greater fortunes. The Mother brokers a deal between the two men in weapons smuggling but, after she becomes pregnant, The Mother discovers them to be involved with child trafficking. She approaches the FBI to be an informant in exchange for protection. While being interviewed by an agent named Cruise, Lowell attacks the property. Cruise is shot, everyone else is killed but The Mother is unharmed. She saves Cruise life and makes a time-delayed bomb. Lowell confronts her in the bathroom and stabs her before getting knocked out from the explosion. After the ordeal, the Mother gives birth to a girl in the hospital; Lowell's body is never found. SAIC Eleanor Williams speaks to Mother and tells her the baby will be placed for adoption for her protection. Mother objects but when she realizes Zoe will never be safe with her, she agrees to waive her parental rights. Mother visits Cruise, giving him three conditions: Zoe will have an ordinary life, she'll get yearly photos of Zoe, and to call her if Zoe is in trouble. Mother secludes herself in a remote cabin in Alaska for the next twelve years, with her former military buddy, Jons, as occasional company until Cruise contacts her to meet him in Ohio. Cruise informs her that when the ATF busted some of Álvarez's men in Mexico, they found a photo of Zoe, suggesting they're onto her. While following Zoe at a local park, Hector's top men kidnap her. Mother managed to gun down several of Hector's men before escaping the authorities with Cruise. While Cruise thought this was for ransom, Mother was sure this was done to lure her out of hiding. The two would head to Havana-Cuba to find Tarantula (Zoe's kidnapper) in hopes to get clues of Zoe's whereabouts. Unable to cooperate, Mother killed Tarantula after a failed interrogation. The two infiltrate Hector's home to find Zoe. After rescuing Zoe, Mother went back to finish off Hector. While escorting Zoe back home, Mother kept looking at Zoe and she realized it was her biological mother but wouldn't admit it. Mid-way taking her back, Mother decides to part ways and let Cruise return to her at the final stretch. Unfortunately, Lovell intercepted them but so did Mother. She arrived to secure Zoe, but Lovell killed Cruise and the two escaped. Realizing she's not safe even if she brought Zoe home, Mother took Zoe to her Alaskan home. At the cabin, Mother protects Zoe by putting her through survival training. The two would start to bond but when Mother realized Adrian was coming for them, she decided to leave Zoe with Jons at his store. Zoe was upset to know she's being discarded by her own mother again. However, Jons encouraged Zoe to see her mother through her actions and not her words. Zoe finds a letter from her mom, explaining she has done everything for Zoe and realizes she does love her and decides to go back. Lovell and his men have a final confrontation with the two. Mother manages to kill all of Lovell's men and have a final face-off with him. While Mother was knocked down, Lovell kidnapped Zoe but Mother manages to grab her rifle and kill him. With both men dead, Mother returns Zoe back to her foster family and the two reconcile as mother and daughter. No longer needing to hide, Mother continues to watch Zoe from a distance.

Book: Kill for You

 Kill For You

Author; Lisa Regan

lisaregan.com

Synopsis.

A woman is found dead, her body beaten post mortem. Stuffed into her mouth is a job application with the words "For You" scrawled across it. FBI profiler Kassidy Bishop is assigned to help find the killer. Despite being scarred by her twin sister's mysterious death fifteen years earlier, Kass is now a rising star in the Bureau's Behavior Analysis Unit.

But as more victims turn up dead around the country--all with the serial killer's trademark message left at the scene--Kassidy is left with more questions than answers. The victims seem to have nothing in common, and the meticulous killer is as inconsistent as he is brutal.

As Kass delves deeper into the mind of the killer, a shocking connection begins to emerge--one that is both personal, and deadly.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Kassidy and the For You Killer, Kill for You is an edge-of-your-seat, roller coaster ride of a thriller.

Thoughts.

Wow. I love this author and the way she writes! The book's chapters are back and forth between the many characters in this book. Told from several points of view.

I honestly couldn't put this down, so many twists and turns

Movie: Renfield (2023) Caution Spoiler Alert

 Renfield

Came out; 2023

Time; 1 hours 33 minutes

Watched: Amazon

Rating; R for bloody violence, some gore, language throughout and some drug use

IMDB Rating; 6.5/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Nicholas Hoult as Renfield

Nicolas Cage as Dracula

Awkwafinas as Rebecca

Ben Schwartz as Tedward Lobo

Shohreh Aghdashloo as Bellafrancesca Lobo

Adrian Martinez as Chris

Camille Chen as Kate

Story Line.

In this modern monster tale of Dracula's loyal servant, Renfield, the tortured aide to history's most narcissistic boss is forced to procure his master's prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there's a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency

Thoughts.

This wasn't what I thought it would be based on the previews.

I thought it would be more of a comedy, but it's actually pretty “serious.”

It wasn't bad, it was more though the perspective of Dracula's familiar.

There was police corruption, a drug gang, Dracula and a support group all in this movie. The flow as good but I just wish it would have been funnier.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

In the early 20th century, Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula met English lawyer R. M. Renfield, who was hoping to broker a deal for some land but ended up becoming Dracula's familiar.

For decades, Renfield has relied on supernatural powers that are initiated by eating bugs. Dracula has recently had a close call with some vampire hunters who almost killed him, so the duo move to New Orleans to recuperate. There, Renfield discovers a 12-step self-help group for persons in co-dependent relationships, and he plans to use the crowd there to hunt out abusive lovers whom he can kill and give to Dracula to feast on without feeling remorse. He follows a narcissistic boyfriend to a warehouse with stolen drugs, and as he batters some lower-level criminals, they are all attacked by an assassin hired by the Lobo crime family who are pushing drugs into the city.

Renfield kills the assassin and attempts to hunt down the man who hired him, Teddy Lobo, but Teddy drives off in a hurry, and a weakened Renfield drags the corpses back to Dracula's lair in the basement of a dilapidated hospital. Lobo runs into a sobriety checkpoint that is run by Rebecca Quincy, a second-generation police officer who sees the opportunity to take a high-level criminal off the streets and arrests Teddy after he speeds through the checkpoint and hurls bricks of cocaine at the police. At the police station, Teddy easily gets out of custody since the feds cooperate with the Lobos. Meanwhile, Quincy has a confrontation with her sister Kate, who has also dedicated herself to police work but is gathering a large-scale case with the FBI, frustrating Rebecca, who wants answers and justice immediately.

Dracula tells Renfield that the criminals he has brought as food are insufficient, and the vampire desires the blood of someone pure and innocent instead. Renfield goes to a restaurant to abduct commoners while Quincy is also led there with clues at the crime scene. The two are caught in an attack on Quincy's life that Teddy has been pressured into making so that the fierce reputation of the Lobos will be reestablished. Instead, Renfield and Quincy defend themselves, killing several gang members and leading Teddy to escape.

Teddy's mother, Bellafrancesca, orders him to hunt down the man who killed her foot soldiers, and he ends up encountering Dracula when Renfield is away. The two agree to form an alliance while Renfield has taken to heart the teachings of his self-help group and decides to make a life for himself apart from his master. Setting up an apartment and changing his attitude to one of helpfulness, he gives a statement to the police to help them try to finally stop the Lobo Crime Family. Dracula learns of Renfield's betrayal and slaughters the support group members in front of his former minion.

Quincy appears and finds Renfield surrounded by dead bodies, causing her to arrest him until she is immediately swarmed by police officers and the Lobos, who also want revenge on Renfield. Quincy refuses to hand him over, and she barely escapes with Renfield. Quincy wakes up the next morning to find that Renfield has saved her life, and he explains his true origin while confirming that he wants to reform himself. The two fight through a group of corrupt police officers and decide to storm the Lobos headquarters, only to find that Dracula has empowered over a half-dozen gang members to have all of Renfield's supernatural abilities, including Teddy. After a fight, Renfield kills Teddy.

Quincy heads to stop Dracula and finds that her sister is beaten to near-death and only the healing properties of Dracula's blood can save her, which he will offer in exchange for Rebecca's loyalty. She tricks Dracula, leading to him having a final standoff with Renfield and Quincy that ends with the two collaborating to capture him in a magical circle.

Renfield and Quincy beat Dracula into pieces, capture loads of his healing blood, and divide up the bits of his corpse into pieces of concrete that they scatter across the water system, either finally destroying the vampire or at least making it very hard for him to reform his body. Renfield later resurrects his self-help group friends with him feeling empowered to make a new life for himself.