Here are some new movie reviews. I am not going to lie, I hate the first two so their reviews may be rather brief:
15. The Iron Lady : So Meryl Streep won an Oscar for her role in this movie as Margaret Thatcher. I had a feeling that I was not going to like this movie, and not because of the character the movie was based on, as I knew Margaret Thatcher was a tough old bird. But I have to say I was not impressed at all. My concept of the movie was that it was about the events that lead Margaret Thatcher to becoming the hard woman and powerful leader of Britain, but that was way off. The plot is really based on the elderly Margaret Thatcher who seems to be loosing her mind in her latter days, hallucinating about her husband and wandering off into the world by herself when she needs to be supervised. It was a rather sad movie, which isn't what bothered me. It was the way the movie presented itself, the flashbacks to her life as a political figure felt rushed and left me painfully wishing there was more in the flash back then her in so-called present times dancing with her dead husband. I seem so harsh there, and maybe that was the point of the movie, that they wanted to show this so-called "Iron Lady" at her weakest, and that she was not so tough after all.
16. The Three Musketeers: I love Disney and kid movies, so I was all over this re-make of the classic story. Plus it starred Orlando Bloom and the chick from the Resident Evil movies (Milla Jovovich) and the sexy Mr. Darcy from the latest version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley (I believe something MacFayden). But wow, this was a terribly made kid-friendly movie. The acting was so ridiculous, really cheesy lines and action scenes, that I was counting down the minutes til it ended. The guy that played the young D'Artagnan was kinda funny, but other than that I really was disappointed by the move overall.
17. 50/50 : This movie I actually loved. The trailers for this movie made it seem completely different from the actual plot, which was why I kept putting off watching it. From previews, I thought the main character, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, was diagnosed with cancer and then his best friend, played by Seth Rogen, convinces him this is the best pick up line they can ever get and just start going out trying to score by using his "I have cancer" bit. Thankfully that was only a small portion of the actual movie, and it only happens one night. But the movie really centers on this character who was always playing the world so safe, didn't drink, didn't do drugs, didn't even get his license as the risk of getting into a car accident was so high. Then he finds out somehow he got cancer anyway. And its all about his struggle to come to terms with his life, and how he has to try and live his life, as there may not be much time left in it. I definitely recommend, and the best character in the movie is actually played by Anna Kendrick (you may know her from the Twilight movies as Jessica, or she starred in the movie "Up in the Air" with George Clooney). She is Joseph Gordon Levitt's therapist, which is just ridiculous but watch the movie, I think you will enjoy it.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
3 - The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
I find that my opinion of stories is really contingent on the voice telling the tale. I must admit at first I was put off by the character, simply because the author didn't tell you what Victoria, the main character in this story, really thought of her actions. But that is what ended up making me love this story. I really had to keep reading and interpret who this person was, as nothing was told to you, it was shown and revealed the more you read into the novel.
This was about a girl who pushed away everyone who tried to get close to her, and suffered the social shortcomings of a life without real family support. She was brought up through the foster system and the book basically starts where she has finally turned 18 and will no longer be cared for by the state. She finds herself thrown into the city of San Francisco with no real job skills or any hope to advance herself. Except for flowers.
The story flips back and forth between the present, and the time Victoria spent with her one potential adoptive mother. The novel is very well structured, giving hints about what caused this seemingly perfect adoption from happening, while at the same time revealing more and more about why Victoria became the hardened individual she is. Her only way of communicating is through "The Language of Flowers" So instead of coming out and telling things to people, she will give them flowers. Every flower has is own individual meaning, so where as most people don't get her meaning, those who do are able to see into her personality more. I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this story. I didn't love everything about the story, and the ending was a little too open for me. But I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a different and interesting book to read.
This was about a girl who pushed away everyone who tried to get close to her, and suffered the social shortcomings of a life without real family support. She was brought up through the foster system and the book basically starts where she has finally turned 18 and will no longer be cared for by the state. She finds herself thrown into the city of San Francisco with no real job skills or any hope to advance herself. Except for flowers.
The story flips back and forth between the present, and the time Victoria spent with her one potential adoptive mother. The novel is very well structured, giving hints about what caused this seemingly perfect adoption from happening, while at the same time revealing more and more about why Victoria became the hardened individual she is. Her only way of communicating is through "The Language of Flowers" So instead of coming out and telling things to people, she will give them flowers. Every flower has is own individual meaning, so where as most people don't get her meaning, those who do are able to see into her personality more. I was genuinely surprised by how much I liked this story. I didn't love everything about the story, and the ending was a little too open for me. But I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a different and interesting book to read.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Kicking Back and watching some flicks
So a few random movies I have taken the time to watch, and sorry I am really terrible at posting my movie reviews right after I watch them, so these are very vague and not very in depth analyses:
10. Source Code: Action flick with Jake Gyllenhaal in which he keeps experiencing the same 15 minutes-ish before a bomb explodes on a train. One of those movies where it gets confusing if you try to rationalize the outcome of each event that gets changed. And of course this is a program financed through the army and government, but no one knows that such a program exists. It just kept confusing me more and more with each re-enactment of the same sequence of events. It was decent, I was expecting more out of the movie, but it was an interesting concept for a movie.
11. Puss in Boots: I loved the character of Puss in Boots in the Shrek movies, so I had been dying to see this one. It was a cute kids movie, incorporating some other fairy tale creatures like Humpty Dumpty and the Goose that laid the golden eggs from Jack and the Beanstalk. It definitely was not as funny as Shrek, but honestly Shrek has not been really funny since the original. The sequel had its moments, but from there the it really lost its flame. I love Antonio Banderas as Puss though, his voice is perfect for the role. "I am Puss...de boots"
12. Project X: I actually begged Bradley (my boyfriend) not to drag me to this dumbass movie. I thought it looked stupid, had the same plot as any other "Oh my parents are gone for the weekend let's turn this into a shit show house party" but boy, I was pleasantly surprise by this one. I think I laughed from the start to finish. The plot is absurd, but once you kinda acknowledge that the events that happen are just great. The one friend, Costa, was just such a jerk that you couldn't help but find him hilarious.
13. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: So this movie was out for like over a month, maybe two, when I finally got the chance to see it. I knew what to expect...I feel like I have gotten bitter over the quality of movies that are out there now. Are there no new and intriguing plots to write any more? No more hidden gems, no Amélie's or The Princess Brides? Ah, those two movies are so not in the same genre or classification of great movies, except in my own personal movie collection. But my point is, this was just the same as any of the other Mission Impossible's. Tom Cruise's crew is set up to take the blame for some messed up mission, and somehow he always seems to survive. (I did like the random cameo in the movie by Sawyer from Lost, aka Josh Holloway. He was in the movie for like two seconds, much to my dismay...)
14. The Hunger Games: I of course read the books (thank you Lynn Weiss for introducing me to the wonder that is Panem and District 12) So I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the movie. I thought it was well done for a book turned movie. They was not much character development, which was the main flaw I had with the film. We needed to understand the awkward Katniss'/Peeta is it fake?/is it real? love drama better. The movie did not do that justice. But for anyone who did not read the books I thought it was easy enough to follow the story and get sucked into the disturbing mindset of what "The Hunger Games" was all about. (Personally, Woody Harrelson is just too funny, not matter what role he is in. So casting him as Haymitch, well done.)
Sorry for the delay! There may have been more that I have watched and just can't recall right now. I am sure I will watch more than 50 movies before the end of the year so I am not that worried. The books...starting to get a little concerned about.
10. Source Code: Action flick with Jake Gyllenhaal in which he keeps experiencing the same 15 minutes-ish before a bomb explodes on a train. One of those movies where it gets confusing if you try to rationalize the outcome of each event that gets changed. And of course this is a program financed through the army and government, but no one knows that such a program exists. It just kept confusing me more and more with each re-enactment of the same sequence of events. It was decent, I was expecting more out of the movie, but it was an interesting concept for a movie.
11. Puss in Boots: I loved the character of Puss in Boots in the Shrek movies, so I had been dying to see this one. It was a cute kids movie, incorporating some other fairy tale creatures like Humpty Dumpty and the Goose that laid the golden eggs from Jack and the Beanstalk. It definitely was not as funny as Shrek, but honestly Shrek has not been really funny since the original. The sequel had its moments, but from there the it really lost its flame. I love Antonio Banderas as Puss though, his voice is perfect for the role. "I am Puss...de boots"
12. Project X: I actually begged Bradley (my boyfriend) not to drag me to this dumbass movie. I thought it looked stupid, had the same plot as any other "Oh my parents are gone for the weekend let's turn this into a shit show house party" but boy, I was pleasantly surprise by this one. I think I laughed from the start to finish. The plot is absurd, but once you kinda acknowledge that the events that happen are just great. The one friend, Costa, was just such a jerk that you couldn't help but find him hilarious.
13. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol: So this movie was out for like over a month, maybe two, when I finally got the chance to see it. I knew what to expect...I feel like I have gotten bitter over the quality of movies that are out there now. Are there no new and intriguing plots to write any more? No more hidden gems, no Amélie's or The Princess Brides? Ah, those two movies are so not in the same genre or classification of great movies, except in my own personal movie collection. But my point is, this was just the same as any of the other Mission Impossible's. Tom Cruise's crew is set up to take the blame for some messed up mission, and somehow he always seems to survive. (I did like the random cameo in the movie by Sawyer from Lost, aka Josh Holloway. He was in the movie for like two seconds, much to my dismay...)
14. The Hunger Games: I of course read the books (thank you Lynn Weiss for introducing me to the wonder that is Panem and District 12) So I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the movie. I thought it was well done for a book turned movie. They was not much character development, which was the main flaw I had with the film. We needed to understand the awkward Katniss'/Peeta is it fake?/is it real? love drama better. The movie did not do that justice. But for anyone who did not read the books I thought it was easy enough to follow the story and get sucked into the disturbing mindset of what "The Hunger Games" was all about. (Personally, Woody Harrelson is just too funny, not matter what role he is in. So casting him as Haymitch, well done.)
Sorry for the delay! There may have been more that I have watched and just can't recall right now. I am sure I will watch more than 50 movies before the end of the year so I am not that worried. The books...starting to get a little concerned about.
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