Showing posts with label movie. Show all posts
Elysium Review
Four years ago in 2009, Neil Blomkamp took the science fiction world by storm with a little diddy called District 9. That movie did everything right with excellent direction, great acting, and perfect world building. So, you can imagine how excited everyone was when Blomkamp announced his next endeavour, Elysium, would be another heavy science fiction film. We all waited with baited breath to see if this movie would live up to Blomkamp’s first feature film, and now it’s finally here. Red 2 Review
Way back in 2010 (it really does feel like a long time ago), we were introduced to a hilarious rag tag team of Retired, Extremely Dangerous individuals. They provided us with a hilarious, action packed spy film that was 111 minutes of non-stop awesomeness. Now, three years later, the gang gets back together to stop another threat, but this time, things are a little...different. The Conjuring Review
Most of you know that I’m a little girl at heart. I know that is an odd way to start a review, but just go with me. What I’m trying to say is: even though I scare very easily, I still really enjoy a good horror movie. But recently it’s been hard to come by a really excellent horror film. We had Cabin in the Woods, which was excellent, but more horror comedy than anything. And we also had Insidious and Sinister, which were superb horror films. But those have been the exceptions. Most of the horror films that come out nowadays are all about jump scares and graphic murders. This fact made me very hesitant about how good The Conjuring was going to be.
The Wolverine Review
Remember back in 2009 when they released a solo Wolverine movie and everyone was super excited? Yea, me too. I mean, how can you go wrong with an independent adventure a la X2, focused solely on the badass predator, Logan? Then we all saw that steaming pile of crap and lost all faith in a genuinely good solo Wolverine film. Thankfully, James Mangold came around and tried to make a faithful adaptation that would renew our faith in X-Men films (trying to wash out the stale taste of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.) I’m so glad to say that he (mostly) succeeded. Pacific Rim Review
In a summer filled with ridiculous sequels (like Grown Ups 2) and even the good sequels (Despicable Me 2) it’s always nice to see an original property. And when that property involves a phenomenal director like Guillermo Del Toro, you have yourself a bona fide blockbuster. While the trailers didn’t offer a lot to be genuinely excited about, I still had faith in Del Toro to deliver something in the realm of Hellboy or Blade II. And, to a certain extent, he didn’t disappoint. Only God Forgives Review
Way back in 2011 the world was taken by storm by a little indie film called Drive. Though director Nicolas Winding Refn had been around the block a few times before, this was his first film to get huge recognition. It was nominated for numerous awards, but, disgustingly, lost most of them. I absolutely adored the film (in fact, it made my top five of 2011), so I was ecstatic when I heard that Gosling and Winding Refn were teaming up again for a potentially awesome film. Despicable Me 2 Review
Like many people, I absolutely loved Despicable Me when it came out back in 2010. So, just like most people, I was really excited to see the return of Gru, Agnes, Margo, Edith, and (of course) the minions. Everyone loved the first movie for its hilarious plot and phenomenal voice acting and with new additions, like the hilarious Kristen Wiig, Despicable Me 2 delivers a new, but oddly familiar kid’s movie that was almost as enjoyable as the first. White House Down Review
I won’t lie: I make judgements about movies before I see them. Some movies either look stupid, or the director has a bad track record, or a combination of the two. But since I have started writing movie reviews, I have forced myself to see some of those movies that I didn’t think looked any good. White House Down was one of those movies. It looked like a stupid action film, and it didn’t help that it had a not-so-reliable director behind it. Thankfully, everything I assumed about the movie was wrong.Late to the Party: Cassandra's Dream
I don’t think anyone is going to argue when I say: I watch a lot of movies. Even with the obscene amount of movie watching that I do, I am bound to miss a majority of films every year. I try to keep myself aware of as many films as possible in a given year, but it is very difficult. Inevitably, many great films slip past me. Thankfully, due to the internet and my movie loving friends, I get some great suggestions about films that I should watch, though most of these suggestions come years after the release. So, I decided I would start a recurring article where I will talk about those hidden gems (which are sometimes not so hidden...) that I’m finally getting around to seeing. The Lone Ranger Review
I have no idea what it is about Johnny Depp that makes people go absolutely nuts about movies he is in. I genuinely can’t remember the last live action performance of his that I really enjoyed. Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl? I think that he is, for the most part, a one note actor. He has played one character since the 90’s, and that is the weirdo. So, you can imagine how unexcited for this film I was. Did I really want to see Johnny Depp play the same character that he always plays...again? No. But did I want to see Gore Verbinski (potentially) make one of few excellent westerns in the 21st century? Hell yes. The Heat Review
I don’t think anyone needed much convincing when they heard that Bridesmaids director Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy were getting together to make another film. Throw Sandra Bullock into the mix and you have the makings of the phenomenally raunchy, buddy cop film. I was definitely on board with the concept and, luckily, the film delivered exactly what was promised. Best Philip K Dick Film Adaptations
Top 10 Vampire Movies
With Byzantium coming out this Friday, I thought it would be fun to do a countdown of my favorite vampire movies. For any of you who are unfamiliar with the films, I’ll give a brief description of the plot so you can get a feel for if you should see any of the movies!
The Purge Review
When I talk about my favorite science fiction books or movies, I tend to bring up one topics over and over again. And that topic is world building. In order to succeed at making a quality sci-fi film, in my opinion at least, one needs to first focus on the world building, and once that is established...then comes the easy part. So, when I first saw the trailer for The Purge, I got a little excited, because it looked like it established a really cool not so distant dystopia where lots of weird stuff could happen. I was right about part of that.World War Z Review
Back in 2007, my sophomore year of high school, I read a book that floored me. That book was Max Brook’s Zombie Survival Guide. It isn’t a narrative novel, but boy is it good. Max Brooks paints an excellent picture of what the world would be like if zombies existed. He makes up facts that become completely believable. This man was a god in my eyes. Then, my friend told me he had already written another zombie book. I was sold before I even opened the front cover. But then a few years ago I heard they were going to make this novel, World War Z, into a film. Confused as to how this might happen, I was cautiously optimistic about the outcome. Man of Steel Review
Superman is, debatably, the greatest superhero of all time. He is almost definitely the greatest of the DC heroes (with Batman a close second.) So it is kind of a mystery, at least to me, why there hasn’t been more of a push for a quality Superman movie in the last, oh, two decades? Yes, we had Superman Returns, which blew, so I ignore that. What was the last good Superman film? 1980’s Superman II. So what was the idea behind the newest incarnation of Supes? Let’s revamp Superman II and try and make it new and original, while still being awesome. And I must say...they succeeded...to an extent.Sequels Better than the Original: Movie Edition
In my life, I have seen a lot of movies. And that includes a fair amount of franchises. Whether it be a trilogy, septology, or anything in between, there are lots of movies out there that have one (or more) sequels. It has become fairly standard that franchises decline over time, peaking with the first installment and then gradually losing steam. But there are a few exceptions to this rule, below I have listed some of my favorite sequels and how they improved upon the original installment in their franchise.
Why Phantom Menace is the Worst Star Wars Movie
As someone who grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy, I remember how excited I was when they announced they were making a new trilogy. I think there are a lot of people out there who remember the excitement that they felt waiting to see the first film in this new trilogy, The Phantom Menace. But that was all the way back in 1999. And now, 14 years later, we have seen the release of two other prequels, to round out a trilogy that everyone agrees is inferior to it’s predecessor. The argument you always hear is not whether the prequels are worse than the originals, but which of the prequels is the worst. And I am here to tell you that, without a shadow of a doubt, Episode I: The Phantom Menace is the worst of the Star Wars franchise. Jack the Giant Slayer Review
When I first saw the trailer for Jack the Giant Slayer, I literally laughed at how bad it looked. I thought it was going to be an awful retelling of a story that we all grew up with. But then I saw Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters and absolutely loved it. So, after that shocker, I had to give this movie a chance, right? Sadly, this movie wasn’t quite the pleasant surprise that Hansel and Gretel turned out to be.
Top 10 Harry Potter Side Characters
If you haven’t noticed from my many posts about Game of Thrones, I only have a few select specialties when it comes to truly geeking out. I never used to really like, or was able to appreciate the world of fantasy. When the Harry Potter series first came out I was hesitant to even give it a chance. Once I did, however, it changed my world! I have fallen in love with the world of fantasy now. I love to get lost in another world and pretend I am a part of it all. I wanted to write an article that had something to do with Harry Potter, but wasn’t quite sure how because it is not exactly a recent thing.
I have decided to put a list together of my top 10 favorite side characters in the Harry Potter universe.
Note: I had some help from my good friend Claire when trying to think up some of these characters. She is an even bigger Harry Potter nerd than me or anyone I know. Anyway here it is!
